Under The Radar
by sinfullysarcastic
Summary: Under the radar, that's how Patricia plans to get through the year at her new school, Frobisher High. What she doesn't expect is for popular guy Eddie to be so desperate to get close, for reasons unknown to her. But when the story comes out and the lies unravel...what next? Will Patricia be able to stay under the radar, while falling in love with someone she shouldn't? AU Peddie.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"Who's the freak?" Amber Millington clung to her boyfriend, Eddie Miller, almost sitting on his lap as they both ate lunch. They sat at one of the back tables, the designated area for cool kids. They fit the role well, along with Jerome Clarke, KT Rush, Joy Mercer, and Mick Campbell. Of course, their group was a bit small, being so exclusive.

They had a newbie today, and everyone knew it, even if she didn't talk much, or at all actually. All newbies attracted attention on the first day, and in her case- sure, there were other goths in the school, but she honestly didn't look all too much like a goth. Her clothes weren't _all_ black, she actually looked pretty comfortable with her own punkish style. Her name was Patricia Williamson, and she was different.

So she was already branded as 'freak.'

"Why don't you go over and ask her?" Jerome smirked, knowing Amber didn't associate with the non-popular. She considered them the plague, constantly thinking she would get infected. Not that Jerome was that different, he was just a bit more lenient. He used to be best friends with someone named Alfie Lewis, but soon the two parted ways, Jerome being pulled away by the promise of popularity. Alfie drifted off into the loser crowd and the two just don't talk anymore, simple as that.

"Amber, could you get off me?" Eddie asked awkwardly, pointing to her on his thigh.

"Why?" she pouted, running a delicate hand with perfectly-manicured nails through his hair. "You don't like being close to me?"

"It's not that," he sighed, knowing how easily offended Amber was. "It's just, I'm trying to eat…"

"And you can eat with me here, _boo_," Amber finished for him, a stern edge coloring her tone, contradicting her sweet smile. Amber looked up at Patricia again. The girl sat tables away, lonely, picking at her food, and Amber smirked. Even the lowest people on the popularity chart sat by _someone_.

"Her name's Patricia Williamson," Joy reported, but nobody questioned her on how she knew. Joy knew everything, she was the queen of gossip. Mick nodded, wrapping an arm around Joy's shoulder. The two were dating, just like Amber and Eddie. KT and Jerome were all single, but Jerome often went on dates with unknown girls.

Joy sighed, taking the last bite of her salad. "I think she's in our next class."

Amber rolled her eyes, "Oh, _great_."

* * *

Jerome rang Eddie's doorbell impatiently, sleepover bag on his shoulder. Mick tapped his foot next to Jerome, checking his watch repeatedly. Jerome just looked surprised the boy could read the watch in the first place- Mick wasn't known as the brightest bulb, after all.

"Hey, guys," Eddie grinned, whisking the doors open before ushering them in. Jerome pushed past him, while Mick rushed to the kitchen.

"Your parents not here?" Jerome raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting between Eddie's face and Mick's barbaric eating, a hopeful gleam rising in them.

"My mom's upstairs," Eddie rolled his eyes, effectively crushing his friend's mood. "Watching a chick flick or something, her date stood her up."

Mick tore open a banana and pouted, "So, no party?" For once, Jerome replicated his feelings, and they both sighed and grabbed their bags before turning to leave.

Eddie's eyes widened, "Guys, you don't have to leave, we can still do something!"

"Such as?" Jerome prompted, crossing his arms and setting his bag down. Eddie almost laughed in relief- he was bored as hell, and if his friends left, his mom would think he was open to chat about feelings with her. Jerome putting his bag down was a good sign, a sign he was staying.

"Um…" Eddie looked up, thinking hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jerome sigh loudly and reach for his bag and push open the front door, cold November air blowing in. Eddie bit his lip, he wanted them to stay, but there was only one way they would. Was it worth it, though? Last time they played, Eddie woke up with chocolate on his hair and Mick had scratches all over himself, while Jerome had a nice time telling everyone at school about the experience, thus making the two the laughing stock of the school for a while.

No, they needed to stay, he could not sit through his mom's whining.

"Truth or Dare. We'll play Truth or Dare."

* * *

"Okay, Mick, Truth or Dare?" Jerome asked. Mick eyed him warily- it was no secret he and Jerome weren't the best of friends, so he wasn't exactly sure what the other boy was planning. And to be honest, Mick was scared Jerome was going to make him do something either pretty dangerous or pretty stupid.

Or both.

So, Mick picked truth. Jerome muttered a quiet 'wimp' under his breath but kept talking, "Okay, truth. Do you really like Joy?" Mick got a determined look in his eyes before nodding solemnly and Jerome sighed, realizing there was no drama to be caused in the situation. Eyes widening, he turned to Eddie, who frankly looked bored with the whole game. Well, that was about to change.

"Eddie, truth or dare?" Jerome smirked, Eddie would pick dare, Eddie always picked dare, he did it to fit his bad boy stereotype. After all, even if dares ended up getting you ridiculed, they also got you admired for even attempting one.

Eddie's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "But isn't it Mick's-"

"No," Jerome answered shortly before his eyes filled with excitement. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Eddie scoffed. "Come on, dude, you knew that."

"Right," Jerome said, rubbing his hands together and stifling an evil laugh. "Actually, you know what? This dare is just too good, let's make it a _bet_."

Now Eddie was scared. Jerome was known for his stupidly dangerous dares, but he had never turned one into a bet- though somebody should've seen that coming, Jerome was nothing if not obsessed with money.

"Okay," Eddie agreed, ignoring the terrified look plastered on Mick's face. He couldn't back down now. "What's the bet?"

"If you get Freak to go out with you, I'll pay you one-hundred pounds," Jerome smirked at Eddie's expression, and then briefly glanced at Mick's. "And if you lose, you pay me one-hundred pounds. It's simple, really. You just can't tell her it's for a bet."

"I'm dating Amber," Eddie protested, desperate to get out of this mess.

Jerome feigned innocence, "Should've thought of that before you agreed to the bet."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Eddie swallowed, slowly closing his locker. It was the end of the day, and if he didn't say something now, he would be suffering with Jerome and Mick all weekend. They had slept over yesterday, and Jerome and he had made a stupid bet he couldn't back out of now. During lunch, the two boys had dropped subtle hints about Patricia, but Amber didn't seem to realize it. Joy and KT had looked as if they suspected something, but overall, nobody had seemed to figure it out.

"Hey," Eddie manned up and walked over to where the freak stood, closing her locker and shifting her backpack on her shoulder. She looked up at him in surprise, obviously not used to being talked to. Everyone thought she was weird, so she lived a lonely life. And besides, Eddie was cool, why was he talking to low class Patricia Williamson?

Her eyes narrowed, there was an ulterior motive. "Why are you talking to me?" She decided to face it head on, confrontation was the best way to handle this.

"What do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and feigning innocence before holding the door open for her so she could leave, an unusually nice gesture on his part. That just confirmed her suspicions that there was a reason why they were chatting.

She looked down, "You _know _what I mean."

"I really don't," he shrugged, and he mentally congratulated himself. This was a good lie, he was doing a good job. If she suspected anything right now, she would blame it on something else. He couldn't let her catch on, couldn't let her know this was a bet. If she did, then Edison Miller would be the laughing stock of the school, because Jerome prided himself in taking revenge.

"I don't think your girlfriend would approve of you talking to the freak," Patricia explained distastefully, and she realized that he was walking with her as she walked home. Was he just being nice or did he live somewhere near her? She hadn't familiarized herself with the neighborhood yet, but she desperately hoped it wasn't the latter.

"Who cares?" Eddie shrugged, surprised at how honest he felt as he said it. _Who cares?_ Being with Amber was great- it was wonderful, but she was honestly a bit ditzy sometimes, and even though she was cute…she just wasn't his type.

Patricia didn't have anything to say to that, so they just went on walking in an uncomfortable silence. She wanted to push him away, wanted to say "_get lost because I don't want you here_." It was what she usually did, shut herself off. Maybe that was why she hadn't had any luck at finding friends in any of her schools. Although, who needed friends? Honestly, what could they do for you?

And besides, "_get lost because I don't want you here_" was only something she could say at home, she wasn't that bold with classmates. Being bold drew attention, she had figured that out in middle school, and Patricia just wanted to get through this year under the radar. It was better for everyone, really.

"So, you're Patricia, right?" Eddie clarified. He knew she was Patricia, Joy had announced it, but he needed to make conversation. Patricia nodded dully, and Eddie sighed, knowing getting a worthy reaction out of her wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The two continued on, Eddie kicking at a rock and Patricia walking just a bit faster, as if she wanted to leave him behind.

"Why don't you ever talk in school?" Eddie asked, looking up from the pavement and turning to face the girl. She looked up as well, and Eddie took the time to analyze her features. If she didn't put as much eyeliner on and didn't wear the clothes she did and didn't keep her hair in her face all the time as if she wanted to hide, she could actually have the looks to be considered popular. "Seriously, everybody thinks you're all weird because you don't ever say anything to anyone and you dress like that."

"How I dress is none of your business," Patricia muttered. "And even if I didn't dress like this, people still wouldn't hang out with me."

"How do you know?"

"_Why do you care? _ You're popular, remember?"

"What, just because I'm popular means I can't care?"

"Pretty much," she confirmed, and Eddie looked down, a tad ashamed. Did everyone feel this way at school? That if you weren't popular, you weren't anything?

"So, how did you come here?" Eddie asked, the awkward silence getting to him.

"…I walked?" Patricia answered his stupid question in a confused manner.

Eddie rolled his eyes, "I meant your backstory, fr-Patricia." He quickly corrected himself, but she knew what he meant to say. She knew something was up now. If it wasn't obvious before, it was now.

"Who put you up to this?" Patricia looked him in the eye, her green ones burning with intensity. "Your mum, asking you to help out the poor little newbie? Your asshole friends, trying to make me spill so they can have a new rumor to pass around?" Patricia mentally face palmed, so much for staying under the radar. It just angered her, this whole thing- Eddie had an ulterior motive, and she wanted to know what it was. She was not going to be left in the dark, not anymore. Eddie sighed, looking around as if it would help him come up with an excuse. He saw his house, barren and desolate because his mom was out with some guy like always. Eddie sometimes wondered if it got awkward between his parents- he lived with his mom whenever she wasn't on a date, and his dad lived about twenty minutes away. The two had divorced and thrown Eddie between the two houses so often he felt like an unwanted hot potato. His dad was the principal of the school, but it was a secret, and nobody knew. Not Amber, not Mick, and certainly not Jerome.

"Nobody put me up to this!" he exclaimed after a while, but he knew it was wrong to say it now. Patricia was more perceptive than a lot of people, she wasn't like Amber, who you could trick in a second. The long pause he had taken before denying her doubts was proof enough that she was right.

"Yeah, right," Patricia scoffed, holding on to the strap of her bag before stepping past him and to the mailbox of the house right next to his. Eddie almost groaned, Patricia was his _neighbor_. His mom had driven him to school this morning, so Patricia must've departed before him if she walked in order to get to school on time. Most days, however, Eddie's mom was too busy to drive him, meaning that Eddie would have to walk. And if Patricia walked as well, what if they bumped into each other? He could not handle another awkward time with her, it was pretty clear she hated his guts already. And if they did see each other but didn't acknowledge the other, then that would make it even more awkward.

However, Eddie tried to look at the situation in a positive way. He could get closer to her and eventually ask her on a date, and boom! That would be the end of this bet, and Eddie would walk away praised and rich. But if people saw them, what would they assume? Eddie's reputation was very important to him.

Honestly, he had been ready to wing it and just ask her on a date, and she would say yes like every other girl. But he obviously couldn't do that now.

"Why do you do that?" he called out to her, surprising himself and her, but she turned around anyways, clutching envelopes, a look of defense already gracing her face. He sighed, knowing he should've shut up earlier, but he couldn't stop now. "Why do you push people away? Why do you scare them off, huh?" Patricia's face remained blank though, emotionless as she shook her head and walked to her front door.

And so Eddie dug out his key and opened the front door to his house. It was all he could do right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Saturdays were the best, in Patricia's opinion. It was the one day she was free of school and all the popular people…but on the negative side, it was also the day she was stuck with her twin, Piper.

In Patricia's not-so-humble opinion, Piper was the reason they were here. Piper was the one with the fancy musical talent, she was why they came all the way to this stupid town to attend her stupid private music academy. Patricia would've been fine going into boarding in the area she used to live in- she wasn't much better off there, but the thought of beginning again killed her. But, no, nothing ever turned out the way Patricia wanted it.

So she was stuck in this school.

She found herself thinking about yesterday more than she was supposed to, thinking of the way Eddie just rushed up to her after school. As if he…wanted to talk to her.

Weird, nobody wanted to talk to her at that school, much less the most popular guy.

And so she pushed him away, because that was all she had ever done. It was in her nature, what was he expecting? For him to say two sentences and Patricia to spill her life story and be bawling in his arms by the end of the day?

_Yeah, right._

Patricia turned on her side so she could face Piper. Their bedroom was relatively large, and Piper and Patricia had agreed to evenly split it down the middle. Patricia took the side by the window and decorated it in band posters and dark accessories. Piper took the side by the door and used it as storage for her abundance of instruments. The difference between the two could not be any more obvious just at first look.

"Morning, Patricia!" Piper smiled as she made her bed, but Patricia just groaned at her cheery disposition, delving further into her pillow. She didn't want to get up, didn't want to face the day. Piper frowned at her sister's reluctance before making her way over to Patricia's side of the room. Piper always felt uncomfortable here, it was like she was surrounded with depression. "C'mon," she shook Patricia's shoulder. "We're going to the neighbor's house for dinner and we need to get ready."

Patricia rolled her eyes, sitting up and swatting Piper's hand off her shoulder. "You do realize that dinner is in the evening, right?" This was normal, she could be this way, rude and feisty in front of Piper. And Piper wouldn't care, because this was just the way Patricia was. What Piper didn't know was that Patricia didn't say these kinds of things at school, she didn't say anything at school. In all honesty, Patricia wasn't sure if Piper would even believe her if she told her twin the truth about who she really was at school.

Piper continued on as if Patricia hadn't said anything, "Mum told me we live next to a guy the same age as us, he probably goes to your school. Now, remember, when we get there, you have to eat with your mouth closed…."

_Was he just being nice or did he live somewhere near her? She hadn't familiarized herself with the neighborhood yet, but she desperately hoped it wasn't the latter._

She had desperately hoped it wasn't the latter.

But as Patricia was learning quickly, nothing ever turned out the way she wanted.

* * *

Eddie tapped his foot to the beat of Sick Puppies' "Odd One." Stretched out on the couch and mentally plotting how to get Patricia to go out with him was harder than he thought. He didn't even know how to approach her now, it'd obviously be even more awkward.

"Eddie?" His mum called, and the boy looked up to see his mom in front of him, hands on hips in a determined manner, tapping her foot impatiently. Eddie slid off his headphones, sensing the anger that was radiating off his mother, and she frowned, "Why aren't you ready yet?"

"Ready?" he echoed, eyebrows furrowing. "For what, are we going somewhere?"

"No, the new neighbors are coming over, I told you this morning," Ms. Miller reprimanded him, as if he should've known. And maybe he should've, but overall Eddie was just surprised. He didn't remember his mom ever saying anything about that, if he did, he would've prepared a while ago. _Patricia _was coming over to his house, how much weirder could things get?

"Right," Eddie nodded, still looking down, mind racing, full of possible scenarios. The worst being that Patricia told his mom how she was treated at school by his group, how he had kind of tried to flirt with her yesterday. Eddie wasn't the nicest guy around, but he did make it a point to please his mom. He felt as if he owed it to her in some way.

"There are two girls, both your age," Ms. Miller informed him, sitting down on the couch, and his head shot up in surprise. _Two_? Was there a second Patricia, did Patricia have a _twin_? And if so, why was this twin of hers never at school? Frobisher High was the only school around here, it was rated one of the best in the district, it was a very prestigious school, and parents loved it. So why would Mr. and Mrs. Williamson only enroll one daughter? Unless the other had skipped a grade….or flunked a grade…Eddie shook his head as Ms. Miller kept talking, "I think one of them goes to your school, do you know her? Patricia Williamson?"

"I might've heard her name once or twice," Eddie mumbled, gathering his laptop and headphones in his hands and running upstairs. Slamming his bedroom door shut, he slowed his breathing and set his laptop on his desk. He had to impress her, had to get her to go out with him if he wanted to end the bet once and for all. Eddie quickly rummaged through his closet, finding his good black shirt. Patricia liked black, right? She wore it practically every day. Slipping it on over his tank, Eddie surveyed himself in the mirror. He looked _good_, now all there was left to do was wait for the Williamsons.

Tapping out a random beat on his thigh, Eddie waited until the ring of the doorbell filled his ears and his mother's call penetrated the silence. Rushing down the stairs, he sighed.

It was time.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"Oh, thank you, Cynthia!" Ms. Miller gushed, taking the flowers from Ms. Williamson appreciatively. Eddie rolled his eyes at his mother's enthusiasm, but didn't comment. So far, he had ignored Patricia, but he knew he couldn't forever. He hadn't even observed her twin yet, solely focused on the interaction between his mom and Ms. Williamson. Ms. Williamson looked a lot like Patricia, green eyes and pale skin. She had dark brown hair though, while Patricia's looked more reddish. Eddie suspected she had dyed it. "Where's your husband?"

Ms. Williamson looked a little teary at the mention of her husband but quickly answered, "Max is, uh, in the military."

"I'm sorry for asking," Ms. Miller wrapped a comforting arm around the other lady's shoulder, leading her away from Eddie, Patricia, and Piper and into the living room, frowning while she talked. "If it helps, I'm divorced…."

And then the three were all alone.

"I'm Eddie," the blonde said, finally looking up at the twins. They were identical, yes, but he could easily tell them apart- Patricia wore red distressed skinny jeans and a black shirt, and Piper a brand name t-shirt and dark wash skinny jeans. Eddie nodded in recognition; Piper's clothes were popular girl clothes, the clothes basically every girl wore in his school but only some could pull off.

"Piper," she introduced herself. "And this is Patricia. Have you two met?"

"We've seen each other around," Eddie admitted, avoiding Patricia's eyes. "So…want to see my room?" It was the only thing he could think of, honestly.

"Sure," Piper nodded, and Eddie led the two upstairs. Patricia trudged behind her sister, wondering why Eddie hadn't called her freak or anything yet. Not that she wanted him to, it just felt wrong when he didn't, and he being nice was so unfamiliar. Maybe it was because of Piper or something.

"This is my room," Eddie swung the door open and gestured towards the stereotypical mess. Like Patricia's side of her and Piper's shared room, it was dark and covered with band posters. It was obvious Eddie had tried to tidy up a bit, but it hadn't really worked.

"It looks a lot like Patricia's side of our room," Piper commented, surveying it. Patricia rolled her eyes at Piper, she didn't want to be connected to Eddie in any way possible.

"Really?" Eddie raised an eyebrow before wheeling around and directing a questioning look at Patricia, who didn't do anything except shoot him a glare. Warding him away per usual.

"Yeah, see," Piper hopped over to Eddie's window, and he followed her, looking out. Their windows were directly across from each other, they could see each other if they wanted to. Eddie squinted to see Patricia's wall decorations in the sun's fading rays, and it was true. Her side of the room, like Eddie's room, gave off an ominous vibe.

Eddie retracted and sat on his bed, Piper taking a seat next to him. There was still space on the bed, but Patricia opted to sit in the desk chair. "So," Eddie turned to Piper and quickly prodded. "You don't go to Frobisher High?"

"I go to a private music academy," Piper explained proudly.

"That's…nice," Eddie said. Classical music was not really his forte, but it would be rude to say that to someone as nice as Piper, so he didn't.

"You're nice," Piper countered boldly. People at her academy were nice as well, but they were also a bit stuck up and uptight. It was a little tiring, constantly handling them with a positive attitude when all she wanted was to regard them the way Patricia regarded her, a tad rudely.

Patricia. Piper sometimes wished she went to Frobisher High with her sister, it seemed less pressuring than her music academy.

Patricia scoffed at Piper's comment about Eddie being nice, and Eddie bit his lip, looking down. It didn't seem like Patricia had told Piper how she was getting on at her new school, how he and his friends were bullying her. If she did, Piper wouldn't be complimenting him like this. "Oh, please," Patricia muttered.

Piper shot her a glare before turning to Eddie, "Sorry about her. She can be a little rude at times." Turning to Patricia, Piper looked a little confused. "Actually, she usually talks a lot more. Are you alright, Trix?"

"Fine," Patricia murmured, silently scolding Piper. Under the radar, that was how she was supposed to get through this year. Just stay cool and collected. Don't make any big scenes, and she would be fine. And Piper had just confessed that Patricia was bolder than she had originally let on, which was bound to come back and bite her in the ass at school. Bold people always got noticed, and if they were noticed by the wrong crowd, they were bullied. That was part of the reason Patricia was going on as if she was nobody at her school.

"So, why'd you guys move here?" Eddie asked, and Patricia just crossed her arms and waited for Piper's answer. She couldn't tell if he just wanted to make conversation or if he genuinely cared. After all, he had tried to pry yesterday as well.

_"So, how did you come here?"_

And because Patricia had never given a straight answer, he was now asking her twin? No, better question, a question that haunted her when she didn't have anything to do and nothing to think about- why did he care? Again, he was popular, he wasn't supposed to talk to her, wasn't supposed to look at her, and wasn't even supposed to acknowledge her existence unless it was for the worst.

Patricia shook her head as Piper babbled on about music academies and militaries. Eddie looked like he regretted asking, and Patricia stifled a laugh. When excited, Piper could easily talk for a long time.

"Dinner!" The familiar voice of Ms. Miller rang through the house, and Eddie almost sighed in relief. Piper frowned at being cut off, but stood up to obligingly leave. Eddie got up as well, stepping over various strewn items to get to the door. He held it open for Patricia, gesturing she go through.

"Ladies first," he explained, and Patricia cringed. She _hated _being called a lady, it made her feel posh and uptight, like she had a stick up her ass all the time. Piper was a lady, her mum was a lady, but Patricia? Patricia doubted she would ever again be classified as a 'lady' the way Eddie just had. Then again, he didn't know her.

"I am not a lady," she muttered, but willingly went downstairs first. Eddie shook his head, he had hoped he would seem mannered and polite if he let her go first, but to no such avail. She hadn't even batted an eyelash.

Girls were so complicated.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"Patricia! Hey, wait up!" Eddie held his hand up and waved from behind her. Patricia froze and stiffened- he had _seen _her, great. Finding out they were neighbors had practically guaranteed they'd run into each other on the way to school. Naturally, Patricia had left earlier in hopes she could get to school before he'd even start walking.

He rushed up next to her, and she sighed, narrowing her eyes at him. Eddie Miller was not the first person she needed to see on a Monday morning.

"So, you have a twin," Eddie nodded nervously. Why was he nervous? "That's cool." Patricia rolled her eyes- billions of people all around the world had a twin, it wasn't anything special or cool, and she hated it when anyone said it was. Deciding to remain unresponsive to his words, she kept walking, opting to stare straight ahead.

"And she said you talk a lot," Eddie continued, watching for some spark of reaction. After her blowup on Friday though, he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted one. He cautiously touched Patricia's shoulder and wheeled her around to face him. She glared and swatted his hand away but realized trying to avoid him was stupid. Eddie wasn't used to being ignored, he was persistent for attention. Maybe that's why she didn't like to be next to him, didn't like to hang out with him- he contradicted the one rule she had set for herself. "But you know, you never talk at school." He raised an eyebrow, and for once, he actually looked pretty interested, pretty curious about her. "Care to explain?"

_Not to you_, Patricia thought rudely, rolling her eyes and kicking at a stone. She didn't need to answer his questions, she didn't even need to _be _here.

So she left, despite her protests. Running away from him, because he was a _problem_, and Patricia Williamson ran away from her problems until she had no choice than to confront. He didn't try to chase after her, knowing she wouldn't even talk to him if he did finally catch up to her.

Things were not looking up for him, he needed help with this. Jerome wouldn't help him, just taunt and tease. Mick would do the same, and even if he did want to help, Jerome would probably stop him. Amber didn't know, and besides, even if she wasn't his girlfriend and was totally for getting the two together, she wouldn't even help that much, just go on about the importance of love. Joy and KT were off limits simply because they'd run straight to Amber once they found out. His whole group in general was full of backstabbing bitches.

Eddie dug his phone out of his bag, scrolling down the list to see if he had any other possible friends.

_Fabian Rutter_.

He was a smart guy, Eddie and he used to be really close, until Amber had told Eddie that he had to choose. Fabian or the popular crowd. Intoxicated by the wonders of school fame, he chose the latter. And they didn't talk again.

To be honest, Fabian was not the best with girls- to Eddie's knowledge, he had had one girlfriend in his whole life, a girl named Nina Martin. They had apparently broken up over some big misunderstanding, but Fabian still stayed with her longer than Eddie had with any girlfriend. He was a master of cheesy gestures as well- did Patricia like those? And he was the only guy that seemed as if he would even remotely help him.

Today. Eddie would track down Fabian today. They would meet up somewhere, Eddie would get his advice, and then they'd part ways as if the meeting had never happened.

Because, c'mon, Eddie's reputation would be down the drain if anyone learned he got love advice from a _nerd_.

* * *

The library, wasn't that cliché? Eddie ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he pushed open the heavy door of the school library- he couldn't _believe _he was actually coming here voluntarily. Knowing Fabian though, this was where he would be.

And yes, there he was, the brunette was settled comfortably in a huge plush armchair, reading a book thicker than his muscles. He was concentrating hard, forgoing lunch to lose himself in the world of books. The librarian looked at him fondly and turned to shoot Eddie a quizzical look, holding a finger to her lip, reaching oh-so-subtly for a detention slip just in case.

"Hey, buddy," Eddie said, settling down on a couch across from the boy, who looked up in surprise. It wasn't everyday Eddie Miller sat with you and regarded you in such a friendly manner, especially Fabian, who resented him in some way for ditching him years ago.

"Eddie," Fabian said, almost coldly, stiffly, regarding the boy that used to be his best friend as if he was a stranger. Just like Eddie usually regarded him. The blonde cringed at the treatment, but figured he deserved it and decided not to make a scene.

"So," Eddie tapped his foot impatiently and peeked at the title of Fabian's book. "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Cool."

Fabian clutched his book tightly as his knuckles turned white- Eddie wanted something, Eddie always wanted something, and Fabian hated that. Hated that the only reason they conversed was at sake of doing favors. It used to be so different, they would talk just to talk, battle each other in the virtual world of video games, and eat a delicacy that Eddie fondly called 'hoagies.'

"What do you need, Eddie?" Fabian asked tiredly, sighing and laying his book down. Many people believed that the popular people had to be treated with a certain kind of respect, but Fabian never really got that. Weren't they all people, all the same age? Why should one person be valued over the other?

"Well," Eddie started before looking around and lowering his voice. None of his friends would be here, but _still_. "I need some help."

"I am not doing your math homework," Fabian said firmly.

"No, not like that. Like…girl help."

Fabian looked up at him, eyes flashing with curiosity, "_Girl _help? I'm not good with girls. Especially not ones like Amber."

"But this _isn't _about Amber," Eddie clarified, and Fabian's eyes widened. Was Eddie…cheating on her? Eddie was a lot of things, and Fabian knew it, but he was not a cheater. He believed in treating girls how they were supposed to be treated- underneath that 'bad boy' cover up was an actual human being that cared.

"What?" Fabian breathed out.

"Yeah," Eddie said nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "You know the new girl, Patricia Williamson, right?"

"She's in my science class," Fabian nodded before it hit him. He gasped, "_You _like her?"

"It's not like that," Eddie whispered, waving his hands. "No, it's just…there's this thing…this bet…"

"And you're using her," Fabian finished. He frowned and shook his head in disapproval, "That is a _terrible _thing to do. Play with a girl's feelings like that."

"No, Fabian-"

"I get that you have your new friends and you want to fit in, Eddie. But this is not the way to do it. She has feelings too."

Eddie spat back his counter-argument, not in the mood and feeling snappy because nothing was working out for him right now. "Then why doesn't she ever show them?"

Fabian just shook his head once more, tucking his book under his arm and standing up to leave. "I thought you were better than this."

For once, Eddie didn't have the last word.

For once, Eddie almost regret going on with this bet.

But the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"That outfit is so last season," Amber commented, catching up to Patricia in the hallway after lunch. Joy and KT stood dutifully by her side as she placed a hand on her hip and surveyed the other girl. Patricia rolled her eyes as the hushed whispers and pointed fingers began shooting at the four- what was the freak doing talking to the popular people? "Actually, I don't think it was ever _in season_."

Joy laughed loyally at the comment, and KT frowned but didn't say anything. Why would she? KT had worked hard to get where she was now, and though she didn't necessarily agree with Amber's treatment of their classmates, she wanted to stay where she was. Popularity seemed to be everything these days.

Meanwhile, Patricia rolled her eyes at Amber's weak attempt at an insult. Because if there was one thing Patricia was good at, it was this. Words. She wasn't eloquent or anything, she just knew what she wanted to say and said it. At least her comebacks made sense. At least her comebacks actually got somebody thinking, actually left a wound. Amber's taunts bounced right off of her.

Of course, she didn't say anything right now. It'd probably harm more than help, and besides, Amber was the kind of person that would take Patricia's comeback as fuel, as permission to keep teasing.

"Do you not talk or something?" Amber raised an eyebrow and Patricia simply shifted her books in her arms. Glancing at the clock, she realized the next period started in two minutes. Disputing in the hallway would make them both tardy.

"I talk," Patricia muttered, trying hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice, the challenge, the feistiness. _Under the radar, under the radar_…the three words had become a chant of some sorts lately, a reminder in a way.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Joy placed a hand to her ear, smirking, and Patricia looked down. Did they honestly think they were intimidating?

"Guys, we're going to be late," KT said quickly, pointing at the clock. Amber and Joy quickly exchanged looks, hurrying to their lockers and grabbing their books while checking their hair in the tiny mirrors. KT looked after them and quickly turned back to Patricia.

"I'm sorry about them," she lowered her voice and her eyes darted, making sure Amber and Joy couldn't hear her. Patricia shrugged before leaving KT alone.

KT had her friends, Patricia had none. It was best to keep it that way.

* * *

Eddie sat down at the lunch table, offering a smile to Mick, Jerome, Joy, and KT, and giving Amber a peck on the cheek. Though Fabian's words lingered in his mind, he couldn't let it show. Joy was especially perceptive- she could easily pick up if something was wrong, and if he confessed to taking a _nerd's _words to heart, it would be all over the school soon enough. Because Joy was a gossip more than anything else- the biggest one at school. Even Mick was afraid to tell her private things.

"Hey boo!" Amber grinned and pecked Eddie on the cheek in return. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Eddie shrugged, knowing she didn't really care. Amber didn't care at all- she only asked because it was courteous to, and then Eddie would have to ask her the same question. Amber loved to talk about herself, fashion, makeup. She was the extreme girly-girl, but Eddie held a soft spot in his heart for her. It wasn't love though, even Eddie- who had never been in love before and had sworn to never fall in love- knew it. "Yours?"

"_Wonderful_," Amber gushed. "I got a 'C' on my math test!" Jerome snorted at her satisfaction, and Mick and KT cracked a smile as well. Joy narrowed her eyes, disbelieving, but didn't comment. Amber wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer so this was a big accomplishment for her. "And Daddy called and he upped my allowance!"

"That's great," Eddie mumbled absentmindedly as Mick and Joy branched off into their own conversation.

KT smiled slightly in an effort to erase the silence, "So, Amber's grades are going up?"

"Yes," Amber smiled proudly, before a look of worry crossed her face. "Oh no, what if Daddy starts expecting this? I can't get C's all the time!"

"I doubt he'll expect it," Jerome muttered before Amber elbowed him.

"Don't be mean," she reprimanded, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Speaking of that," KT began hesitantly- it had been an internal debate to bring this up. Eddie perked as KT spoke- she didn't share her opinions much; she mostly just agreed with Amber or Joy. KT and he didn't talk often for that reason- there was never a good conversational topic because she was always a bit shy. A bit afraid to say something lest she got rejected. She lowered her voice, eyes darting to Mick and Joy, who had started snogging, and then to Jerome and Eddie, who were both fully interested. "Amber, what you said to Patricia wasn't very nice either."

Amber rolled her eyes and dismissed it with a wave of the hand, "Who, the freak? _Please_, KT. I was just…setting things straight between us."

"That didn't make it right to talk to her like that," KT murmured. Amber narrowed her eyes as Eddie's widened. _What _exactly had they said to Patricia? Here he was, trying to convince her the popular people weren't that bad. Here he was, trying to get a date with her because of a bet. And now his girlfriend was making fun of Patricia and just supporting Patricia's mindset that the popular people were all stereotypically mean. Why did this have to be so hard?

"Whose side are you on?" Amber hissed at KT, who gulped.

"I'm just saying-"

"What, are you telling me that that stupid girl with her _ratty _clothes and _hideous _hair is _better _than me?"

"No, I never said that!"

Amber stood up and slammed her hands on the lunch table, seething as the room felt silent. No one dared talk, move, or even breathe as Amber spoke, "If you like that freak so much, how about you go hang out with her?"

KT faltered as everyone in the lunchroom gave a collective gasp, "W-what?"

"I'm saying you're _out_," Amber hissed. "Go. Leave this table."

"Amber," Eddie bit his lip, trying to reason. He glanced at KT, who looked almost teary eyed at the public humiliation.

"No!" Amber crossed her arms. "Go. We don't want you here anymore! Go hang out with that loser!"

"Amber, you can't be serious," KT bit her lip so that the tears wouldn't spill. She would not cry, she _couldn't_. Not in front of everybody.

"I am," Amber raised an eyebrow. "I never liked you anyways." A sharp intake of breath came from many people as KT lowered her head, grabbing her lunch tray before running out of the room. After a couple minutes, the chatter of the lunchroom began again, but everyone knew.

Everyone knew KT had stuck up for a low-class girl like Patricia, who hadn't even bothered running after her.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Fabian paused when he heard the sobs, looking up from _20,000 Leagues Under The Sea_ in curiosity. He was in the library again- he was _always _in the library- it was just his place; his home. More so since he and Nina had broken up- he was doing her a favor to not have to see him every day in the lunchroom.

But in all his days here, skipping lunch for books, idly chatting with the librarian on the several occasions no one else was here, he had never heard someone crying. Crying was something Fabian heard when he passed the girl's bathroom. Crying was something he heard in the lunchroom on the days something dramatic happened. Crying was something he heard in the hall, along with a long talk of how some guy broke up with some girl. The library was peaceful though; nobody cried in the library. Nobody would want to, not with the librarian there. Quickly glancing around however proved even the librarian was gone- maybe even she had gone for a lunch break.

As far as Fabian knew, the library had two entrances, one situated by his science class and the other by the lunchroom. From science, he headed straight here to avoid the lunchroom and sat at the table behind a long shelf of books. Whoever was sobbing must've come from the entrance by the lunchroom.

Fabian frowned, feeling sympathy. He didn't know who it was or even what had happened, but _still_. The thought of anyone crying, even someone absolutely horrid to him like Amber, was something he just couldn't handle.

"Hello?" he cautiously whispered before berating himself. No one could hear him from back here. Fabian slowly got up and peeked from behind the shelf.

There was a girl, huddled up, knees pressed to her chest and head bent. A lunch tray with uneaten, untouched food laid beside her, and the brown hair that fell in curls only proved his assumption. This was popular girl, KT Rush. From the dynamic Fabian had witnessed from her, she definitely seemed nicer than her friends. She was a smart girl, bubbly, sweet- Fabian had often spent days after she joined the 'popular group' wondering why. Wondering how somebody like that could get along with people like them. Someone he could potentially be friends with hanging out with the people he tried hard to avoid.

Fabian debated whether to go back. _Abort mission_, he silently commanded, the socially awkward nerd in him making an appearance. But then his sensitive, questioning, comforting part came out- something was wrong, he couldn't just _leave _her like that.

"KT?" he whispered again, inching towards her almost cautiously. She looked up, tear faced, lip quivering. "W-what happened to you?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "It's stupid. I shouldn't be crying, really, it's not-"

"You can cry," Fabian said quietly. KT looked up in surprise as he continued thoughtfully, "Sometimes it's better to let feelings out like that." KT nodded before sniffling.

"No, I think I'm done," she gave him a weak smile before looking around at the library. Fabian smiled at the look of awe and appreciation that lit her face. "So, is this where you come for lunch?"

"Most days, yeah," Fabian shrugged before gesturing to a seat beside her. "May I?"

"Of course," she said hurriedly, running a hand through her tangled hair.

"Would you…like to talk about it?"

KT let out a long breath, "I'm out."

"Er, what?"

"I'm not friends with them anymore."

Fabian's eyes widened. Maybe there was a perk to staying in the lunchroom- at least he knew what was going on. "What happened?"

"You know that new girl, Patricia?"

Fabian paused. _Patricia Williamson_. The girl Eddie was leading on. The girl Eddie was supposed to ask out on a bet. Yes, he knew her. She didn't talk at all in the classes he shared with her, but it was different from his silence. Her vote on no participation was almost determined. She wasn't a nerd like the other quiet ones in his class- he didn't know what stereotype to call her. Goth maybe? Fabian couldn't tell though- refused to, actually. Classifying people based on looks was just plain wrong.

"Yeah, I've heard of her."

"So, today, Amber and Joy were making fun of her, right? And then at lunch I might've stuck up for Patricia and told Amber to cut it out and-"

Fabian sucked in his breath, "Amber doesn't like to be ordered around."

KT rolled her eyes good naturedly; she really was feeling a bit better just being with Fabian. "Yeah, I figured that out myself." A hush fell over the two, a companionable silence.

"Well…I could…um…be your friend," Fabian suggested before internally scolding himself. Damn his kind nature, he was going to be rejected and he just knew it.

But to his surprise, KT smiled, "I'd like that."

Fabian grinned too, _20,000 Leagues Under The Sea _forgotten.

* * *

Patricia sighed. She hated this, having to exchange these formalities with people. It just wasn't her- when she said it, it always came out wrong. Every apology she made sounded sarcastic, every greeting insincere. When she simply quit talking to everyone else at the school, no apologies had to be made, no greetings were expected.

But oh, yes. Now she had to say thank you.

It was obvious that the freak mentioned in Amber and KT's lunchroom fight was her. Everyone knew it, gaining stares and shakes of heads and muttered insults. Yes, Patricia probably should have gone after KT, considering she got kicked out of the elite popular group at her sake.

Patricia looked around as she closed her locker after last period- not many people had left yet, and she hoped KT was one of them. She didn't want to put this off until tomorrow- it would drive her crazy.

Patricia's eyes narrowed in on KT, walking with some boy Patricia had seen in one of her classes but never caught the name of. Strolling over as coolly as possible, Patricia smoothed out her skirt nervously.

KT and Fabian paused as Patricia came near them. The curiosity in their eyes shone as she fiddled with her fingers, looking down. This was so unnatural for her and her inadequate knowledge on this topic was coming back to bite her in the ass.

"Thanks," she murmured quietly. When KT didn't say anything and gave no indication of accepting it, Patricia elaborated. "For sticking up for me earlier today. I know it was me you guys were talking about, and I'm really, er, sorry about what happened." _Ugh_. Even saying it felt weird on her tongue, like a foreign language. She looked up to gauge KT's reaction.

"It wasn't your fault," KT reassured. Patricia shot her a hesitant smile before turning around to leave, exhaling in relief, when KT called her back. "Hey, Patricia! Could we, um, have lunch with you tomorrow?" Patricia paused, heart pounding. Having lunch with an ex popular girl was not a way to stay under the radar. KT continued, "I'm trying to get Fabian to actually eat lunch instead of being a nerd in the library." A joking tone colored her voice and the boy beside her- Fabian, apparently- laughed along.

"Sure," she found herself answering as KT beamed. No! What was she doing? Why was she talking so much? Why was she practically inviting them to sit at her table? All this was going to do was draw more attention, all this would do was get her bullied more often.

But whatever KT and Fabian had- ah yes, _friendship_- it shocked her how much she wanted it as well. She couldn't remember having a proper friend, the last time having invited someone over to her house. Looking back, Patricia didn't know what to blame- her social skills or Piper's perfection. It was almost a relief when Piper first started going to music academies- it meant them not going to the same school, not being compared.

"Thank you!" KT squealed, and Patricia raised an eyebrow. For somebody near tears at lunchtime, she recovered quickly. Either that or this Fabian kid was a miracle worker.

As KT began walking off and to the front door, Fabian stayed behind, eyes darting. He touched Patricia's shoulder, and she swatted away his hand. He itched the back of his neck and blushed, "Uh, I just wanted to say, um…you know Eddie Miller, yeah?" _Who doesn't_? "I'd be, uh, _careful_ around him." And with that, he ran off after KT, leaving a confused Patricia in his wake. What did that mean? Be careful around Eddie?

"Hey, want to walk home together?"

Speak of the devil.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Maybe she could walk faster and pretend she hadn't heard him. Maybe she could catch up to Fabian and KT and look like she was having an interesting conversation and he would just leave her alone. Eddie probably didn't associate with nerds like Fabian, and KT had recently been kicked out of his popular club, so Patricia doubted they were on speaking terms.

"Hey, wait up!" She pushed the front door open, letting the cool wind caress her face as he caught up. Okay, so there was no pretending he wasn't there now.

"What do you want?" she said quietly, looking up at him. Her little conversation with KT and Fabian had somehow fueled her, and she knew that running away now wouldn't help.

"Why were you talking to them?" Eddie raised an eyebrow, readjusting his backpack. Their shoulders brushed and Patricia scowled before moving as far away as she could while still remaining on the sidewalk.

"Why does it matter?" she retorted, and Eddie raised an eyebrow. Patricia was probably the strangest person he had ever known- she was a shy girl in school who did anything to stay out of the spotlight, but here, with him, she was a sassy, snarky, get-away-from-me kind of person. It was like she was battling between two personalities, and Eddie wasn't getting any closer to figuring her out. He didn't know who she really was- her sarcastic side seemed like a cover up while her quiet side seemed like a barrier.

"It doesn't," he shrugged, avoiding a fight. Fights always ended up with her running away. An uncomfortable silence fell over them both, but considering Patricia hadn't ditched him yet, he figured he was doing pretty well. "So…what's your favorite color?"

"_My favorite color_?" Patricia blinked, and he could tell she was obviously surprised at the random question. But the way Eddie saw it, anything was better than the silence. "I don't know, purple, gray, red, black, something like that."

"Not one for pink?" he teased, and she shot him a distasteful look. Okay, maybe that was a little too far for now. Teasing each other implied they were friends, which Eddie knew she disagreed with.

"Okay," Patricia said uneasily. "What's your favorite food?"

Eddie looked surprised that she had taken their little question game further, but answered anyway. "Hmm…pancakes. No, hoagies! No, pizza! Ugh, I can't pick." He shot her a smile that he hoped was charming, but she just scowled.

"Okay, my turn," Eddie hummed. "Um, what's your favorite song?"

She glanced at him warily for a moment, as if contemplating whether to tell him. "_Odd One _by Sick Puppies."

Eddie's eyes widened, about to say that _he _liked Sick Puppies too. Maybe this could be it, maybe they could bond over the love of the same band, and then maybe somehow, he could get to the point where she was sort of starting to open up to him, and then he could ask her out and she would say yes and they would have a date and then be done with it all.

"Okay, my turn," she said firmly before he could talk about Sick Puppies. "_Why do you insist on hanging out with me?_"

He gulped, "You're new, and I'm just helping you feel comfortable."

Patricia narrowed her eyes, "Yeah, well I don't see why you should be concerned. None of your friends are, especially not that girlfriend of yours." It was rude and harsh and nobody would expect it from her at school, but Eddie had grown accustomed to it. And he didn't object either- he didn't feel like standing up for Amber because she _had _stepped out of line today. The unspoken words lingered: _Amber was the one that chased KT away._

"You didn't go after her," he said, tired of always being the bad guy between the two. "I never saw you go after KT, even though she was clearly defending you."

"KT and I already talked," Patricia seethed. "And we're both completely fine. And besides, haven't you known her longer? Why didn't _you _go after her?"

_Because if I had I would've been kicked out too. Because I didn't want Amber to yell at me. Because I don't like seeing girls cry. _Eddie could list so many reasons in his head, but each one sounded self-centered and he knew Patricia wouldn't appreciate it. So he remained silent as they reached their respective houses.

"Thought so," she chuckled lowly. "So, if you could just back off, yeah, _Krueger_?"

And with that, she stormed up to the door of her house.

Any other day, it would've been funny, being compared to a villain. Any other day, he would've corrected her about how it was _Freddie Krueger _andnot _Eddie Krueger _and then laugh at her stupidity.

But today, he just felt hurt.

* * *

"Eddie! Eddie! I need you to- oh, what happened?" Ms. Miller took in the look that graced her son's face. It was often hard to tell when Eddie was upset simply because he masked his feelings, but over time, Ms. Miller had grown to know his tells.

"Nothing happened," Eddie mumbled lowly, not wanting to tell his mother about his day. Unlike most guys, Eddie didn't have a problem with confiding in her- his dad was never there, so he had learned to go to his mom. But if he told her what happened today, he'd have to tell her the whole thing- his behavior and status in school, how people treated Patricia, why they treated her like that…and besides, it wasn't even one thing that had made his day bad. It was a collection of things that had slowly torn him down.

And Eddie just wasn't in the mood, so he just shook his head at his mom's questions before heading upstairs.

* * *

Music. Music always helped. He hoped his playlist would pick some accurate songs today. Eddie plugged his headphones in and sprawled on his bed, closing his eyes, ready for whatever started blasting from his phone.

"_Odd one, you're never alone. I'm here and I will reflect you._"

Ready for anything except Patricia's favorite song.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"Thanks again," KT smiled widely as she set her tray down on the lunch table, glancing at Patricia. Fabian nodded as well, sitting next to KT as an awkward silence fell upon the three. KT finally spoke up, an apologetic glance crossing her face, "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. Amber was being…"

"A real bitch? Yeah," Patricia muttered before her eyes widened. _What was that? _Patricia wasn't supposed to say stuff like this in school!

KT and Fabian looked surprised but anyone could tell it was what they were both thinking. "Um…yeah," KT said slowly. "Sorry, I just didn't think…"

"That I said things like that?" Patricia finished for the girl, astonished herself. Here she was, the antisocial freak of the century, actually having a half-decent conversation with someone she had only recently met. Patricia was _opening up_, but unlike with Eddie, it didn't feel weird or forced or questionable.

It just felt _right_.

Maybe she could finally go home and tell Piper that yes, she too was capable of making friends. Maybe she could tell her mum that she wasn't hopeless in the social department. Maybe she could call her dad and tell him that she was simply surviving. Maybe she could finally be the one who talked for long hours on the phone with somebody.

Because, as much as she denied it, Patricia Williamson was lonely.

Years had passed in which Patricia had kept her head down, kept her fiery nature within her. When she had come here, she had figured she would just continue the streak. And she _was _staying quiet…why she was getting so much attention was what she was wondering.

But maybe attention wasn't all bad. Attention from the right people, recognition from the nice ones, maybe that was okay.

"So, Patricia," Fabian started. "I'm Fabian." _The guy who warned me about Eddie_. "I think we share the same English class."

Patricia nodded before taking a big breath. This was a huge step for her- she was about to say what was on her mind, what was really there. "Yeah, I've seen you before. Personally, though, I think English is kind of stupid. I mean, we already _know _the language, yeah?" Soon enough, she found herself rambling, but this was progress in itself. This was something she would say to Piper. This was something she would say to her mum.

This was something she had just said to Fabian.

Fabian let out a chuckle and KT smiled appreciatively. Patricia noted that they both looked more than a little surprised by her steady flow of rudeness, but that was to be expected. She was usually quiet.

"I completely agree," KT nodded in support before standing up. "Um, well, I'm going to go use the bathroom so…" She hastily stood up and sped out of the lunchroom, and Patricia and Fabian locked eyes.

"I used to, uh," Fabian cleared his throat several times. "I used to, uh, get bullied too."

"This isn't bullying," Patricia said quickly. She knew what bullying was, and in comparison to what she used to receive, everything here was just light teasing.

Fabian quirked an eyebrow but didn't question her logic, instead shifting to another topic. "So, Eddie."

Patricia wishes they were still talking about bullying.

"What about him?" she murmured, tossing around her food with a plastic fork. Fabian's 'warning' the other day had certainly stuck around, but she doesn't like talking about it. Patricia doesn't like anything to do with indefinites- she still has so many questions for Eddie that until she gets answered, she doesn't feel like discussing. And who knows, maybe Fabian actually was _helping _her out by giving her his tip, but talking about the subject felt awkward and uncomfortable. Some conversations could go without being spoken out loud, and this was one of them. Patricia already knew everything he was going to say just by the look in his eyes the day he told her.

"Don't…get, erm, _involved _with him, yeah?" Fabian bit his lip, and Patricia raised an eyebrow. Who was he to tell her what to do? It was probably for her own sake, but _still_. Patricia didn't like to be ordered- she could do _whatever _the hell she wanted to and whenever.

But before she can reply, KT strolls back in, and the three continue idle chatter, Patricia and Fabian avoiding eyes and KT filling the void that had formed.

* * *

"THAT'S NOT FAIR MOM!" Eddie screamed, his face red with fury.

Ms. Miller's temper was getting high as well, "Edison! You know well your father and I share custody of you!"

"We live a half hour away! And we see each other enough in school anyways!" Eddie fumed. His mother had just recently told him that he was to go with his father for the weekend. But Mick was throwing a party this weekend, and Eddie just knew Eric would want to do some lame activity with him as bonding. Therefore, Eddie would miss the party and this was _one of the biggest parties of the year _which made it even more unfair. Mick hadn't told everybody about it yet, but tomorrow he would be announcing it was open invite. If Eddie didn't make it, his place on the popularity scale would drop- and it wasn't a matter of his standing as much as it was the treatment he would receive once he got the standing. For example, people like Patricia, who were pretty low on the scale, got treated badly. And Eddie was not going to risk his standing to go do something with his stupid father who suddenly was all gung-ho about bettering their relationship.

"Edison, enough is enough! To your room, now!" Ms. Miller pointed upstairs, ignoring her son, who grumbled some unmentionable things under his breath before heading up the stairs. His room had become a fortress of solitude even though the house itself was only occupied by two people. Eddie plopped himself on the bed, crossing his arms and angrily sighing. Come to think of it, it was more than popularity. The problem lied in his father himself, but today was not the day to think of that.

He sighed, leaning his head back and cracking an eye open to look out his window. His eyes almost bugged as he saw Patricia on her bed as well. She hadn't seemed to notice him yet, but did he _want _her to?

_Yes_.

The answer came so quickly he was unsure it was even his own. But he is surprised how much it is true; he needs someone right now.

* * *

Patricia's eyes dart up at the feeling of someone's eyes on her.

Oh.

Eddie.

Their eyes connect, and Patricia has half the mind to shut the blinds, but something stops her. Maybe the look on his face, pitiful and desperate. She can't imagine what went wrong, but she's definitely curious as he holds his index finger to his window pane in a show of 'give me one second.' Patricia studies him as he bends down, slowing emerging with a whiteboard that says nothing but _hey_.

She can't pretend he's not there.

Maybe something happened at lunch that caused her to feel obliged to pick up her pad of paper. Maybe somehow over the course of the day she had opened up so much that she was now writing _hi _to Eddie on said pad of paper.

Whatever the reason was, he looked surprised at her response.

But that was who she was today- surprising everybody as her marker scratched on the notepad again, this time forming a sentence she would probably regret asking.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis or Sick Puppies.**

_What's wrong?_

The two words that she had scribbled on the notepad after extreme contemplation now waited for an answer. Through the window, Patricia could easily tell Eddie was confused. Was he surprised that she had known something was wrong? He wasn't that good at covering up his feelings.

_Nothing_.

His reply was quick and short and tight, and she was almost glad they didn't have to get into that conversation about his problems, which she figured were stupid things like the fact his favorite shirt was wrinkled. Patricia rolled her eyes, wondering what to say next. Maybe she should just close the curtains and be done with it?

But suddenly he was writing something down on his whiteboard, so she waited patiently. Patricia brushed some hair out of her face, studying the way he hunched over and the way his tongue poked out and eyebrows furrowed.

_We never finished our 'question game.'_

Oh. Patricia had thought the contrary- that her sudden outburst the other day had been the end of that game.

* * *

Eddie bit his lip as he lifted the whiteboard in front of his face so she could see.

He didn't want to play the game again. Of course not- he wasn't in the mood for drama right now, and Patricia had a flair for it.

But this time, he had a reason.

He was going to ask her out.

He wanted this over, he wanted to be done with this for once and for all. Eddie couldn't handle it- he wasn't a bad guy, he never was. The sooner it was over with, the sooner this weight could be lifted off his shoulders. Fabian's words, which had become his conscience, were echoing in his head, drowning him in his guilt.

Because yes, Patricia Williamson was a lot of things.

But she had never done anything to him.

She had gone out of her way to _avoid _him.

Eddie looked up to see Patricia holding up her notepad and looking out from behind it to gauge his reaction. He gave her a slight smile, as if that could make up for everything he was about to do.

_You want to keep playing_?

Her face voiced the question written on her paper, and he nodded, scribbling down an easy question on his whiteboard. If he asked her to go out with him now, she'd know something was up. Because Patricia was ever doubtful, ever hesitant.

_Why do you like Sick Puppies? I like them too_.

Eddie grinned as he saw one of her eyes widened, the other shielded by her hair.

_They speak to me. They talk about real things_.

The answer came after a while, but Eddie waited patiently. Patricia was probably trying to figure out his ulterior motive; it was what she had been doing ever since she met him.

What surprised him the most was how much her answer fit him as well. Eddie listened to Sick Puppies more for the instrumental sound, but on the rare occasion that he did pay attention to the lyrics…Patricia was right. Their music was more than auto tuned whining about high school- it was the truth. And it only fit that Patricia listened to them as well, considering she was constantly seeking the truth.

_Same. Your turn_.

Eddie offered up, and she quickly bent over to write something on her notepad, the auburn hair falling over her face. Eddie briefly wondered what she would look like with her hair pinned back- would she look vulnerable without something to hide behind? More defiant?

Less like the freak everyone had come to know?

_Why do you like Sick Puppies?_

Eddie's answer came instantaneously- just like Patricia, he too knew exactly why he liked the band.

_The music. It just fits my mood. When I'm mad, they'll be mad. When I'm sad, they'll be sad._

And she put her notepad down for a minute, her eyes meeting his. What was it in the greenish-grayish orbs? Respect? Admiration?

Acceptance.

His stomach clenched as he recognized the look. Eddie _really _didn't want to do this now, but his hands were already drifting to the whiteboard, his fingers prying open a dry erase marker.

_Will you go out with me?_

He didn't peek out from behind his whiteboard to check her reaction- he couldn't, he was already feeling sick to his stomach. They had just started getting along, maybe he had even somehow altered her opinion on him.

And now this.

He finally looked up to glance at her notepad, which now shielded her face too.

_Is this some kind of joke_?

Yes, Eddie closed his eyes tightly. That was all it was, a search for popularity.

Maybe he knew what Patricia had thought about him since day one, because right now, he was feeling the same. Suddenly, Eddie wasn't 'cool' or the 'bad boy' anymore. He was the guy that was asking out a girl on a bet. He was the guy messing with a girl's feelings, asking her out only to ditch her in the end.

He was becoming his _father_, Eric Sweet. His father, who had left them.

But his marker had a mind of their own.

_No. I'm seriously asking you out on a date._

What had Fabian said that day? Ah yes- '"I get that you have your new friends and you want to fit in, Eddie. But this is not the way to do it. She has feelings too."'

Patricia's response was up in the air and Eddie was honestly stunned she hadn't closed her curtains yet, surprised she was still doing this at all.

_You have a girlfriend_.

And the words were flowing on the white surface faster than he could register.

_We broke up. Because I like you_.

And maybe she didn't have anything to say to that. Because her notepad was strewn on the floor and the pen she had been using dropped. All that was left was her face. Her face, wrought in a look of disbelief and disgust and hurt and loss and pain and anger.

And then the curtains closed, and Eddie's whiteboard drooped in failure.

Because Patricia Williamson sought for truth.

And they both knew that whatever Eddie had just written was far from it.

* * *

She was used once again.

She didn't feel sad because Eddie was obviously lying- Patricia didn't think of him like…_that _anyways at all.

She wasn't angry because no one seemed to want to just talk to her, no reasons, no excuses- she was used to deprivation in social activity and it was surprising she had come this far in her new school.

She was just empty because everyone always pretended. They made it seem like they cared and then they pulled this.

"Hey," Piper's voice floated into the room, and Patricia opened her eyes to see her twin looking around concernedly. "Why's it so dark? Open the curtain or something." Piper reached to pull the shades open, the thin pieces of fabric being the only thing blocking Patricia from _him_.

"No," Patricia protested loudly before letting her voice get softer. "I-I have a headache." She lay back down, pressing the back of her palm to her forehead. Thank her lucky stars that Piper was gullible. Many people said twins were supposed to be able to sense when the other is feeling down, but that was false in their case. Piper and Patricia had grown apart right after elementary school and the supposed twin telepathy vanished as well, so Piper was fairly naive when it came to how Patricia was feeling. Patricia could usually tell what Piper's mood was- she just didn't want to get roped in a conversation about her twin's problems. (Which always seemed horrifically minuscule in comparison to Patricia's.)

"Oh," Piper frowned. "Do you want a painkiller or something? I could go get one or-"

"No, I'm good," Patricia muttered. Piper nodded before leaving, offering her sister a hesitant half smile, probably terrified that she would lash out in a horribly cranky mood. When she was gone, Patricia turned to her side and spoke quietly.

"It's not like you can fix my stupid life with a painkiller."


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews last chapter- in return, I have given you the longest chapter yet. It's not ****_that _****long in relativity, considering how much other authors write, but it's still the longest chapter in this story, and I hope you enjoy!**

"Let's hang out today," Amber declared, her voice ringing through his cellphone. Eddie sighed at the demand and rubbed his eyes. He can't remember much from yesterday, and the parts he _does _remember are memories he doesn't want in his head. He remembers Patricia, not the exact dialogue, but the gist of their conversation, remembers the emotions on her face, remembers the goodbye. He remembers his mother calling him down to dinner and he remembers not going; he remembers letting sleep overtaking him and not much else.

Amber's call had been a rude wake-up, but needed, since Eddie was notoriously known for sleeping until eleven AM most days.

"Um, what?" Eddie bit back a yawn and tried to listen to his girlfriend. But he was too tired and everything she said seemed faint and nothing more than a whine in the back of his head.

"I _said _let's hang out today," Amber repeated impatiently. "I was thinking we go shopping and then stop at my house before going to Mick's party."

"Uh, right," Eddie mumbled, vaguely remembering his mom saying something about bonding time with his father later today. Eddie knew he had protested since his meeting with his father had conflicted with Mick's party. "But my mom said, we, uh, already have something planned."

"So, sneak out," Amber stated, as if it was obvious.

"I'm on the second floor," Eddie rolled his eyes slightly at her ignorance. "And my mom's like, always in the living room."

"And the living room's by the front door," Amber finished for him- she had been to his house many times. "Hmm, where are you even going anyway?"

"Uh, visiting my grandma," Eddie lied easily, pushing himself up and tilting his head so he could look out his window. It was utterly stupid to think that Patricia's curtains would be open, but he had to check. Swallowing some guilt he wasn't aware he would feel, Eddie trained his eyes onto a picture of Mick, Jerome, and he. The popular kids. They were the cool kids. That was where he belonged now, and this was what they did. They asked people out on jokes- it was _no big deal_. Really, Eddie shouldn't be feeling remorse.

"You told me your grandmother died," Amber said suspiciously, and Eddie winced. He _couldn't _tell her the truth- that his father was the principal and for some insane reason, he had to go and bond with him tonight of all nights. "Oh my god, Eddie Miller, are you _cheating on me_?" Her voice was laced with accusation and before he could protest, she had already hung up.

Sometimes, he seriously hated his life.

* * *

"Trix?" Piper whispered, shaking her sister gently. "Get up, it's like ten o'clock."

Patricia groaned and turned to her side to avoid Piper, who rolled her eyes at the rejection.

"Are you feeling better?" Piper asked, and Patricia just shrugged slightly. She had never had a true headache to begin with- only an overwhelming sense of emptiness. It hadn't gone away just yet, but Patricia was feeling significantly better. At least she wouldn't have to put up with Eddie now; she doubted he would be walking with her to school anymore.

"You know, Patricia, I'm not stupid," Piper finally said, and Patricia sat up slowly, rolling her eyes. Whenever Piper used her real name, she knew something was going to happen. "I know you don't have a headache." Piper paused to gauge her reaction, but Patricia remained indifferent. "I mean, you're really cranky when you have a headache."

Patricia smiled slightly but didn't say anything as Piper continued. "The curtains are closed. I know it's about…Eddie." Patricia frowned, feeling the need to be defensive, but Piper held up her hand and kept talking. "I looked through your notepad after you fell asleep."

"You _what_?" Patricia fumed. "How _could _you? That's an invasion of privacy!"

"_You have a girlfriend,_" Piper quoted, undeterred by Patricia's anger. She turned to her sister with a raised eyebrow, "Did he ask you out or something?"

Patricia rolled her eyes and stood up. Piper obviously wasn't going to move, and Patricia was not in the mood to talk about this. "Mind your own business, will you?"

"Why can't you accept that a guy might actually _like _you?" Piper stood up too. "This is great, Trix!"

"No, it's not!" Patricia practically growled. "He _doesn't _like me! He _can't _like me!"

"How can you be so sure?" And now the two sisters were face to face, Piper's cool composure slipping. She wanted her twin to be happy, but sometimes, it felt like Patricia tried so hard not to _be _happy.

"Because _boys are scared of me_! I'm a _freak_, Piper! I've known him for like a week, and his whole group of friends are total jerks to me, and suddenly I'm supposed to believe that he genuinely likes me? He doesn't know _anything _about me!"

"Because you don't let him know anything! Why can't you just open up to someone, Patricia? I'm absolutely positive he'd like you then!"

"Easy for you to say," Patricia muttered, jealousy coloring her tone. The room turned silent for a while.

Piper faltered for a minute and her voice softened, "What?"

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about," Patricia scowled, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"I'm not pretending, I really don't know."

Patricia groaned in frustration at the clueless look on Piper's face. "You really don't know? Fine. _Fine_. I'll tell you. You're _perfect_! You're the one with all the friends, you're the one with the talent, and you're the one who everyone loves!"

Piper looked at her in disbelief, "That's not true; I'm not perfect."

"Could've fooled me," Patricia scoffed, making her way past Piper, who couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Patricia regarded her as _perfect_? Piper heard a door slam behind her while her mind whirled. Was it possible that Patricia was…_jealous _of her?

* * *

Patricia swung her legs to rock the porch swing back and forth. She hadn't felt comfortable going anywhere too far from the house since the town was still fairly foreign to her, even though she desperately wanted to. Wanted to get away from this stupid place with these stupid people and their stupid words that hit harder than she would normally allow.

As far as she knew, Piper was still in their room and their mum was still in the kitchen. Patricia sighed- she had _never _exploded like that in front of Piper. She'd kept it all inside, secretly envying her twin because Piper was the person she couldn't be no matter how hard she tried. If Patricia could play _Chopsticks _on the piano, Piper could play _Fur Elise_. If Patricia got a B on a test, Piper got an A. She was the shadow of someone who was amazing at supposedly everything without even trying, and she was sick of it.

* * *

Eddie checked the time once more- it was five o'clock, and it would still be a couple hours before Mick's party started. He was supposed to meet with Eric soon enough, and ever since Amber's phone call this morning, he had been terribly conflicted. Be a good son and live up to his mother's expectations or go to a party that would maintain his popular reputation?

"Eddie!" his mom opened his door and Eddie scowled. The two were on thin ice from last night and her not knocking angered him more than usual. "You should be going to see Eric right about now. You can take my car- you know where he lives, right? It's about ten minutes away; just take-"

"I know," Eddie cut her off, and snatched the keys out of her hand. He didn't wait for a reaction, instead slamming his bedroom door and running down the stairs. Screw this, he wasn't going to go see his father.

He reversed the car into the driveway, gravel crunching under the wheels. Mr. Sweet didn't live anywhere near Mick, but he still turned the direction of his friend's house, glancing casually out the window.

Patricia.

On the porch swing, looking straight at him. He wasn't doing anything _that _bad, but still, if he got home late and his mum got suspicious, Patricia could very well tell her that he didn't go in the right direction.

The atmosphere was awkward between them, but Eddie still parked the car in the Williamson's driveway, walking up to Patricia soon after.

"Hey," Eddie spoke nervously, yesterday's conversation fresh in his mind. Patricia just glared at him. "If my mom comes over here later and asks you if you've seen me, you _can't _tell her which way I went, okay? I'm actually supposed to be going that way." He jerked his thumb in the opposite direction of where he was heading, watching her pleadingly.

"Don't worry," she muttered as she stood up. "I don't rat people out." Eddie watched as she made her way back to her front door.

"Hey, you, uh, want to come with me?" Eddie asked. His eyes widened at his comment and he made to take it back- he didn't want to bring _her _to Mick's party; what would they all say? He could just imagine it; cool, carefree, wildly popular, and heavily intoxicated friends staring at him curiously.

They'd say _Eddie brought someone._

They'd say _Eddie brought the Freak on a date._

They'd say _Eddie got the Freak to go out with him_.

And Jerome would say _Eddie won the bet_.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis or 'Maybe' by Sick Puppies.**

**Guys, this is the longest chapter yet! There's a lot of drama in this one, so I'm excited to see your thoughts on it!**

"Come with you?" Patricia blinked in surprise as she turned around. This was just getting weirder and weirder, and it was making her suspicious beyond belief. Why would he want her to come with? Where was he even going?

"To the party at Mick's house," Eddie clarified, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Patricia raised an eyebrow, even more puzzled. Why would he take the school 'freak' with him to a party? She'd do nothing but lower his status and embarrass them. Besides, she didn't want to go with him to a party where his popular friends flaunted their mansions and tried to look cool by pulling stupid stunts. She would be the odd one out, and they both knew it pretty well.

_But_, she also didn't want to go back inside and see picture-perfect Piper and her mother. It would be an awkward dinner for sure, and Patricia shared a _room _with her twin; it'd be hard avoiding her. Besides, neither one would really _care _where she had gone- why would they? They would probably congratulate her on getting into this kind of party- if she ever told them about it, that is.

Her mind was spinning into overdrive- which one would she hate more, socializing with people she'd always made fun of or listening to her mother babble on, subtly dropping critique into her words whenever she mentioned Patricia?

"Fine," Patricia spoke, a little surprised at how loud her voice was. "I'll come with you to this party."

A sly grin slid across his face as he surveyed her. Patricia rolled her eyes and walked towards him, eyes darting between the car and Eddie. "Wait," he stopped her, looking her up and down once more. She crossed her arms self-consciously; his eyes made her feel like a piece of meat, and she didn't particularly like the feeling. "You can't go looking like that."

Patricia raised an eyebrow, obviously unhappy her outfit was being critiqued. "Why not?"

Meanwhile, Eddie's thoughts were running wild. He bit his lip and held back his words. _Because your clothes will make me look bad. _It was risky- this bet that he couldn't tell anyone about. If he came with Patricia and pretended he had brought her as a date, everyone would probably throw him dirty looks. Her appearance was one of the most important things that branded her as freak, and, if he had to take her, the least he could do was make her look a little better, right? In a way, he was helping her. She almost looked threatening like this, wearing blue distressed jeans and a beat up leather jacket. He wasn't clothed much differently though- what was it about her that made her look so unapproachable?

It was the hair- that had to be what was bugging him so much. Ever since last night, when he had wondered how she would look with it pulled back, the thought had stayed.

"Um, here," Eddie fumbled inside his pocket for a bobby pin, handing it to her.

Patricia gave him a weird look, speaking her mind for once, "You carry bobby pins in your pocket?"

"Sometimes you need to pick a lock," Eddie shrugged, not expecting her to understand. But to his surprise, she nodded in agreement, face free of judgement, before fingering the bobby pin.

"I don't like these," her face scrunched up in disgust before looking back at the door, almost as if she was contemplating something. Patricia sighed, "Fine." She placed the bobby pin in her hair awkwardly, looking even more stupid than she did before. Eddie sighed- she was a girl, she should know how to do this.

He stepped closer and she drew back. "I'm going to fix it for you," Eddie reassured. She eyed him warily once more but didn't withdraw when he came closer. He was a good three inches or so taller than her, so it was easy for him to draw her hair back and place the bobby pin in with expert ease. (He had lived with his mom for years, don't judge.)

"There," he stepped back to admire his handiwork, curious as to how she looked. She definitely looked more vulnerable- maybe she had kept the hair in her face to ward people off. Patricia obviously wasn't one for social interaction. "You should, uh, keep your hair out of your face more often." He complimented, but he wasn't as calm and cool as usual, remembering last night. The words exchanged.

Eddie heard a vague mutter of 'don't tell me what to do' before the two set out to his car. As they settled themselves, he looked over at her once more. She really _did _look nicer with her hair pulled back- her greenish-gray eyes stood out more.

They rode without talking, Eddie having put on a Sick Puppies CD. The familiar tune of _My World _reached their ears as they drove on.

_"I'm not coming back, I'm not gonna react, I'm not doing shit for you…"_

* * *

Mick stood as he heard the doorbell, taking a final bite of his banana. The party hadn't officially started yet, but Amber and Joy had come early to help set up. Jerome was in charge of food, and Mick had spent the entirety of the time waiting for Eddie. At least Eddie and he could be civil- with Jerome, there was always some kind of tension in the air.

"Hey, Eddie," Mick clapped his friend on the back and let him in. He paused for a minute as a girl followed.

Was that who he thought it was? The freak?

Had Eddie managed to score a date with her? Had he actually won the bet already?

"What are you doing here?" Mick furrowed his brows.

"You told me I could invite someone," Eddie replied coolly before she could talk.

"Yeah, but not a _freak_," Mick protested, crossing his arms. He was happy his friend had won the bet, but honestly, what were people going to think now? If misfits like _Patricia _were allowed to come here, than it was practically open invite for anybody.

Meanwhile, Eddie mimicked his position, ready to lead Mick off and explain everything to him. He was ready to confess that this was all at the sake of popularity, so if Patricia could just stay long enough for Eddie to tell Jerome they were on a 'date', he'd be eternally grateful. He was ready to tell his best friend his plan as he usually did, because Mick was his confidante.

But he _didn't_ lead Mick away and he _didn't _say any of that. What fell out of Eddie's mouth surprised him much more.

"Her name's Patricia," Eddie finally found himself saying. He could feel her eyes widen from beside him- and he didn't exactly blame her for the shocked reaction either. Eddie himself was a bit amazed that he had stood up for her. He continued on as a silence filled the air, "We'll just, uh, be helping with the food." He nudged Patricia, who nodded, still the tiniest bit astonished, and the two ditched Mick to maneuver themselves to the kitchen.

* * *

Eddie strode into the kitchen to see Amber and Joy filling chip bowls. He raised an eyebrow- usually it was Jerome in charge of food, but the blonde seemed to have left his station.

"Hi Eddie," Joy greeted. Amber kept her head down, seemingly intent on stirring the punch now. "Hey, who's- wait, is that the _freak_?" Eddie saw Patricia roll her eyes at the nickname, and he decided not to say anything this time. Starting something with Mick was one thing but Joy was another story entirely.

Amber looked up in surprise, "_That's _who you're cheating on me with?" Eddie winced as she gasped, and Patricia's eyes shot daggers at Eddie, filled with question. It was clear she was confused and didn't want to be here anymore.

"No," Patricia finally spoke when Eddie didn't, and Joy and Amber swiveled towards her in surprise at how loudly she had spoken to them. Eddie saw Jerome turn the corner into the kitchen and panicked- what now? If he told Amber he wasn't cheating, then that would mean he hadn't fulfilled the bet and Jerome was _right there_. If he did tell her he was 'cheating', than Amber wouldn't be his girlfriend anymore. "We-"

Eddie cut her off, "Yeah, Amber, sorry. I'm on a date with Patricia." Jerome gasped before covering his mouth and hiding his laughter, and Joy narrowed her eyes. Amber placed down the chip bag and locked eyes with him. Tears welled up as she pushed past Jerome and into the bathroom. Joy shook her head and shot both Eddie and Patricia a dirty look before chasing after her friend.

But Patricia's reaction was by far the worst.

She looked awed and regretful at the same time. Shock colored her face once more, quickly replaced by disgust and then sadness. And at the end, as she went through every negative emotion possible, all she did was shake her head, almost as if she'd expected something like this. She didn't cry though, instead opting to be consumed with rage. Her hand met his wrist as she tugged him out of the kitchen and into one of Mick's guest bedrooms. Eddie found it kind of weird, being led by Patricia. He probably should've been afraid of what was coming next, but all he could think about was how she was usually the meek one between the two.

* * *

"What was that?" she seethed once the door was closed. Eddie's eyes widened- sure, she had been a little snappy when he annoyed her before, but this Patricia was someone he had never known. She looked almost confident as she pushed a finger to his chest. Where was the girl who never talked? "I am _not _your date and we both know it. So, I repeat, _what was that_?"

Eddie exhaled slightly to calm himself- he was actually feeling a bit scared. This Patricia was unfamiliar to him and he wasn't sure what to say next.

_You just can't tell her it's for a bet_.

That was one of Jerome's conditions, right? Eddie couldn't let that slip, so he did what he was accustomed to. He lied. "Well, you see, it's actually not as bad as it looks. Seriously-"

Patricia's eyes darkened, "Tell me the truth, or I swear, I will _personally_ make your life living hell."

Was this threatening, confident, determined Patricia only brought on when she was angry? Because, if anything, Eddie was the one who could ruin _her _life, considering his status. But she didn't seem to so much as acknowledge that as she glared at him fiercely.

"Look, Patricia, I know you might be feeling a little upset right now but-"

"Oh, I am _done _being upset," she sneered. "I knew it. I _knew _it. There was no way someone like you would actually try to be my friend. You're a _liar _and a _creep_ and if you think messing with people like this makes you a 'bad boy,' you're dead wrong. So either you tell me what's really going on or I tell your mum exactly where we are. Your choice."

"You said you don't rat people out," Eddie countered before internally berating himself.

"I say a lot of things," Patricia dismissed, and Eddie let out a shaky breath, finding himself pressed against the wall. He sighed, ready to spill, when the door creaked open and Jerome slipped in.

There stood Jerome, ready to give Eddie his money.

There stood Jerome, one-hundred pounds in hand.

And there stood Patricia, slowly connecting the dots.

**Hope you enjoyed! This chapter is probably one of the most important yet, because it's a pivot point in Patricia's character. Her true colors came out because she was angry with Eddie and couldn't remind herself to stay under the radar. (Because Patricia does act before she thinks sometimes.) So, watch out for character development because this story is _far _from over.**


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for the positive response on the last chapter! In return, I have given you the longest chapter yet, around 3000 words! Check the end of the chapter for my new updating schedule.**

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jerome smirked, and Eddie sighed. Knowing Jerome, he probably thought they were kissing or having a romantic moment- when actuality was far from it. "I was just dropping off the money for our bet, Eddie. You know, since you won." Eddie clenched his eyes shut and avoided looking at Patricia, who was obviously fuming by now. She hadn't spoken, but Eddie knew the only reason she was waiting it out was because she wanted to hear what Jerome had to say. She wanted to hear the story Eddie wouldn't tell, the reasons he never revealed.

"Oh, Eddie didn't tell you?" Jerome shook his head in fake sympathy before looking at Patricia, who glared at him. He smirked; he knew what he was doing- ruining someone's life. (It was one of his favorite pastimes.) "The only reason he's here with you is because of a bet. You know, I hope you're not _too _disappointed- it's not like he would go for you anyways."

"Jerome," Eddie warned softly. He didn't need to be reminded of his actions, and neither did Patricia. He glanced at the girl- her eyes had a familiar look in them. He had seen it time and time again without even realizing until now- she was holding it back. She was biting her lip as if she was trying to keep something in, avoiding Jerome's eyes and just letting his words pass her by. But she heard them, and they both knew they hit home somehow.

"How do you get out of here?" Patricia muttered, looking down. With Jerome's arrival had also come her quieter side, and Eddie was ashamed to admit he was actually glad for it. Days had he spent trying to break her out of her shell, but now, all he wanted her to do was turn back into the person he had known this whole time. The Patricia he had just witnessed was one he couldn't push around, one he didn't feel comfortable making fun of because _damn_, she was intimidating.

Jerome teased, "What? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, maybe if you spoke louder-"

Eddie's eyes widened as he watched Patricia grabbed Jerome's collar in a sudden act of boldness. "I _said_, how do you get out of here?"

Jerome, looking stunned, quickly mumbled directions to the front door. Mick's mansion _was _huge, and it was easy to get lost because she hadn't familiarized herself with the place. Patricia let go of his collar before turning to Eddie. She didn't even look that angry anymore- she just looked regretful.

"I knew it," she whispered, before slipping his bobby pin out of her hair and slamming it into his hand. She gave him one last glance before pushing past Jerome.

"How are you getting home?" Eddie raised an eyebrow, trying to say it evenly, pretend everything was okay. Maybe they could both do that, pretend as if this had never happened. Patricia dismissed Eddie before turning to Jerome.

"And get Her Majesty to stop crying," she mumbled, referring to Amber. She shot Eddie a dirty look, "Because there is no way I would _ever _go on a date with him."

* * *

Patricia bit her lip as she took a breath of fresh air. Cars were beginning to pull up to Mick's mansion and she bowed her head before beginning to walk. She hadn't been paying attention when Eddie and she had come here, and it was hard to know which street to take to get home. She had only been in this town a week or so- school was the only place she knew how to get to, and that was only from her house. Patricia paused once she was in a less crowded area of the neighborhood, allowing herself to take it all in.

She had been _used_.

She had _let_ herself be used.

If anything, she was angriest at herself. Patricia _knew _this always happened, knew there was always an ulterior motive. It had been downright stupid of her to even think about giving Eddie a chance to what? Be a friend? A casual acquaintance? Sure, they might've had the same music taste and sure, they might live next to each other, but the distance between them in every other aspect was too broad. He was _popular_ and popular people did things like this. She knew that from watching countless people be messed with and ripped apart by guys like him- she should've learned.

Patricia should've known better.

And what had followed after she figured it out was wrong in so many ways. So much for staying under the radar- she had just threatened two of the coolest guys in school, and gotten the other two girls extremely upset. (Even though that wasn't actually her fault- Eddie had caused all of this.) Mick probably hated her guts even more for coming to his party, and if she didn't get an earful Monday morning she'd be surprised.

But Patricia couldn't deny it…there was a certain greatness in being herself. People _feared _her for it, for the way she got riled, for her comebacks and sarcasm. Elementary school had been just that- she had made a handful of friends and been respected for who she was. Patricia was tough and snappy and witty and for that, people had known not to mess with her.

But when middle school rolled around, everything changed. _Everyone_ changed- suddenly it was about fitting in and getting dates. Patricia was moved into a school district where she didn't know anybody, and friends were hard to come by. Who needed them anyway? She was fine by herself- the lone wolf.

But she had watched.

She had watched them all get teased and taunted and broken by their fellow peers that ruled the school. She didn't want to be one of those victims.

But she was.

She remembers them poking her and teasing her and breaking her just like they had broken countless others. She remembers being shunned for speaking her mind instead of feared. She remembers being called bad names and being known as a bad person.

And so, she became invisible in school, eventually earning the nickname 'Who's Patricia Williamson?' Staying under the radar where she belonged, talking only when needed, and learning to survive without anybody.

But right now, Patricia did need somebody- somebody to drive her home or at least navigate her out of this unfamiliar area. She sighed before reaching into her pocket and pressing speed dial one, waiting as it rang.

"Yeah, mum? Funny story actually, but I kind of need you to come pick me up…"

* * *

Eddie sat down on the bed before burying his head in his hands. He could vaguely hear the music starting as voices filled the house- the guests were already here. It wouldn't be anyone important of course; all the really cool people, the ones Eddie liked hanging out with, would come later and from different schools.

"So, that _wasn't _a date," Jerome clarified quietly.

Eddie glared at his friend in answer. "Did you not just see what happened?"

"If I were you, I'd be more concerned with winning Amber back than anything else. I heard she has like a checklist for this."

"No," Eddie rolled his eyes after a moment. "I don't think I exactly, uh,_ want_ to get back together with her."

"Really?" Jerome cocked an eyebrow, leaning against the door. Eddie hesitated slightly- Jerome was always twisting words around and using them as blackmail so he wasn't exactly sure whether he should confess anything. "But you two are- what did Joy say again? 'The power couple'? Ah, yes, you two are the power couple."

Eddie sighed, "I don't know, man. Amber's great…but I don't know, I'm just not feeling it." Eddie shook his head at how true the statement was. He hadn't felt anything for a long time, long before this bet had started and long before he had even met Patricia. "I did like her at one point," Eddie admitted, talking more to himself than Jerome. "I _really _liked her. I used to dream about being her boyfriend." Jerome raised an eyebrow, but Eddie didn't even seem to notice he had let it slip. "But once, I _became _her boyfriend…it wasn't what I expected, you know? It's like…I'm just some kind of _trophy _for her to show off."

Jerome nodded as Eddie got up. The two locked eyes and Jerome lowered his voice. "Where are you going?"

Eddie swallowed, running a hand through his hair. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he was afraid of how she was going to react. "To apologize. To Amber."

Jerome crossed his arms, "Are you ready to pay me a hundred pounds?"

"What?"

"The bet. I won. She's not going to go on a date with you anytime soon."

"Right," Eddie sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'll, uh, give it to you on Monday." Jerome nodded, stepping aside so Eddie could leave. The American paused though, "And could you tell Mick that I'll be going home in a while? I'm just going to, you know, apologize to Amber, and then I'll be on my way. My mom doesn't even know I'm here." He didn't wait for Jerome to answer, instead pushing past him and heading towards the bathroom.

* * *

The music was faint in this part of the hall, and it was easy to hear Amber's sobs. It sounded like Joy was there too, offering words of comfort, but Eddie couldn't really make out what she was saying from the other side of the door. He knocked a couple times.

"Uh, occupied," Joy called.

"Joy, it's me," Eddie replied. "I need to talk to Amber."

The door flung open faster than he would've thought humanly possible, and the brunette stepped out. She glared at Eddie but didn't say anything, waiting for an explanation before she let him talk to Amber. When Eddie didn't offer anything, she spoke.

"She's not taking you back," Joy practically growled.

"I know," Eddie said. "I just want to apologize."

Joy's eyes blazed, "You break her heart and you think saying _sorry _will help fix anything? You went out on a date with her worst enemy and announced it right in front of her!"

Eddie fumed, "You don't think I _know _that? Besides, it wasn't even a date, it was on a bet! And now Amber hates me, and you hate me, and Patricia hates me, and I'm pretty sure my mom's going to hate me too. And Mick probably hates me too for even bringing her. Look, I never meant for it to turn out like this, I swear."

Joy paused, "Fine. I'll tell her. Give me a minute." She disappeared inside the bathroom again and Eddie checked his watch. It wasn't that late yet, but he needed to get going before the mansion really started filling up with guests.

Joy came back out, hands on hips. "She says you're out."

"_What_?"

"You're out," Joy crossed her arms. "Go hang out with that _freak _if you like her so much."

"I don't like her though!" Eddie sputtered. He _couldn't _be kicked out of the popular club- who else would he go to? These people had been his friends ever since Amber had showed him the ropes.

Amber.

He had gotten in because of Amber- because she thought he was cute and the two were sure to date soon enough.

And now, he had 'broken her heart.' Amber was his only tie to these people- sure, Jerome and Mick eventually became his close friends, but at the end of the day, Amber was the reason he was there. And therefore, she could also be the reason he got kicked out.

"But you said it yourself, Eddie," Joy pointed out. "Amber hates you, I hate you, Mick hates you. And Jerome will find something to hate you for too. What do you even have here anymore?"

"I can make amends," Eddie insisted. "Come on, Joy! It was Jerome that made the bet!"

Joy scowled, "Well, it wasn't _Jerome _that followed through with it, now was it?"

* * *

The drive home was mostly silent- Patricia's mum had eventually come and pick her up, and Piper had tagged along. Patricia scowled, unsure of why her twin had to come too. Whenever Piper was around, she always felt worse about herself- her twin was an example of perfection.

"So, tell me, Patricia," Mrs. Williamson said curtly, hands gripped firmly on the steering wheel. "Why again were you in that neighborhood?"

Patricia contemplated lying, but what would she say? She hadn't ended up at Mick's on accident and they both knew it. "I was, uh, going to a party."

Piper beamed at her, "A _party_? Oh, Trix, that's great!" Patricia looked down- hadn't she and Piper had a falling out a couple hours ago? Why was Piper not holding a grudge against her?

"Not great," their mum cut in. "And you didn't think to tell us about this party?"

"I didn't think you'd mind," Patricia replied coolly, though her heart was beating fast. Who would've thought that her Saturday, her supposed safe haven, would turn out to be a worse day than going to school?

Mrs. Williamson slammed her hand on the steering wheel as they pulled into the driveway, gravel crunching. Patricia closed her eyes and braced what was to come next- she was used to it, of course. She knew how her mum worked; she was the one in trouble most often for backtalk anyways.

"You _didn't think I'd mind_?" the woman screamed, patience slipping. "Do you know how _worried _I was, Patricia? I thought something had _happened _to you, I thought someone had kidnapped you or something of the sort!"

Patricia scoffed- she knew she shouldn't argue, but her first move was to be defensive. "Why would somebody kidnap me, huh? I thought you said this was a safe neighborhood- isn't that why we moved here?"

"Things happen, Patricia," her mother clenched her eyes and Piper smartly stayed quiet. "I do not know what world you live in, but here, things happen. People are not who they say they are, and nothing can be guaranteed as safe."

"You think I don't _know _that? I know better than anyone that things happen, so don't talk to me like I'm a child because I _know_ that people aren't who they say they are!" Her mind instantly turned to Eddie; she should've followed her gut instincts and avoided him at all costs. She shouldn't have communicated with him via window and she shouldn't have gone with him to that party.

"Let's go inside," her mum finally sighed, opening the car door. Patricia and Piper followed suit and the three began walking in silence to the door. Piper hurried to catch up with their mother, but Patricia stayed outside on the porch. Mrs. Williamson paused and eyed her daughter, but eventually muttered a 'come in soon' and left her alone. They both knew the atmosphere was awkward, and they both needed time to clear their minds after the long day.

Patricia was thankful for a moment of peace, and she clutched her head in her hands.

Then suddenly, a rumble of a car pulling up and the sound of gravel under wheels. She didn't need to look up to know that Eddie had come home- why he hadn't stayed and partied, she wasn't sure. Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to care either.

And then his voice after a few minutes. He was right in front of her, she was sure of it, but she wasn't willing to look up and open her eyes. She wanted to be far away from this place, she wanted to be in her room alone, she wanted to be far away from this stupid town, she wanted to be back in fifth grade because fifth grade was _easy_.

"Patricia," Eddie started. "I just- I didn't mean for it to turn out like this. I _wasn't _the one who came up with the bet. And you don't have to worry about me, uh, not getting what I probably deserve because I'm pretty sure karma came around. My mom's probably going to know where I went when I get inside and I also got kicked out of the popular crowd. Happy now?"

Patricia looked up and glared at him before scoffing, "Wow, your life seems really hard, friendless with an angry parent." She narrowed her eyes as she thought about her upset mum and her status at school.

Eddie sighed, and Patricia knew he was going to change the topic. Personally, she thought he had some nerve coming here after the whole scene earlier. "You know, you're, uh, not who I thought you were. Grabbing Jerome's shirt like that."

"Yeah?" Patricia sneered. "Well, you're _exactly _what I thought you were." She got up, getting ready to go inside before turning back around. "I hope that money was worth it, Eddie. Because I was _not _lying when I said I'd make your life hell."

And she walked inside as if nothing had happened. She had walked out of the battle unscathed.

As she made her way up the stairs, a thought circled. What if she had been going about this all wrong? She had obviously already received the bad type of attention from the cool people, even after staying under the radar.

What if...this was a sign?

What if she wasn't _supposed _to stay under the radar?

At this school, she was shunned for staying quiet.

Maybe speaking her mind would make her feared once more.

**Hope you enjoyed! I'm going to be updating this Mondays and Thursdays from now on, so keep an eye out.**


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for the amazing reviews last chapter! I hope this lives up to your expectations; it's mostly Eddie settling into his new status. Willow, Mara, Alfie, and Nina are introduced as well, so I hope I did a good job of keeping them in character.**

"Hi, Eddie," his mom greeted as he walked into the house, feeling empty and isolated. But her voice was too sharp, her tone too insincere, for it to be a friendly statement. Ms. Miller lounged on their couch, legs crossed and eating ice cream out of the tub. She licked the spoon clean before setting the container on a nearby table and talking again. "Your father called."

Eddie sighed, not wanting to hear this now. His day had just gone from bad to worse, and a lecture was the last thing he needed. His mom continued, "And he said that you weren't there. But I thought, no, he has to be, right? Because I gave him my car to drive and I trusted him to go to his father's house like we agreed. So, Eric waited for you to show up, because maybe something had gone wrong." She gave him a long, pointed look. "But nothing went wrong, did it?"

"Mom, I-"

"Eric was _heartbroken_, thinking his own son didn't want to spend time with him. Care to explain, Eddie?"

He gulped, "I was at the party."

"I figured as much," Ms. Miller nodded, not even looking that angry, just upset. Unhappy that she couldn't trust her own son. She sighed, "You're usually such a good boy, Eddie. What's been going on?"

"Nothing," Eddie quickly avoided the question, because if he told her about one detail, he would feel compelled to share them all. And if he did that, his own mother would feel disgusted by him, by the fact that he would play with people like he had. Ms. Miller raised an eyebrow and he corrected himself, "It's complicated."

"Well," she said, standing up and placing the ice cream away. "I hope this isn't: you're grounded. One month, you go straight to school and come straight back home, and if you want to go anywhere on weekends, I have to approve and I'll be the one driving you." Eddie nodded dully, not in the mood to argue.

"It's not like I'll even have anyone to hang out with," he muttered, yet Ms. Miller caught it.

"What about your friends? Uh, Jerome and Nick?"

"Mick," Eddie corrected. "And nah, I don't think they're going to want to hang out anytime soon."

"That's too bad," Ms. Miller shrugged. "I quite liked Jerome." Eddie snorted- Jerome was the type to put on an act in front of adults; he seemed sweet and innocent, if not a little conniving, until anyone got to know him. "Oh, Eddie?"

"Yeah?" he looked up.

"The Williamsons were over an hour ago, asking about their daughter, Patricia. Do you know where she went?" The question was innocent, but to Eddie, it felt as if someone was mocking him by asking. Yes, he knew where she was. Yes, he knew where she had gone.

"I just saw them pull up," Eddie confessed. "I think they found her. Night, Mom."

"Night, honey," she called, her voice faint as Eddie traveled further up the stairs and into his room. He collapsed on his bed, checking the time. It wasn't normally when he would go to sleep, but he was overwhelmed and that made him tired. He peered out his window curiously, hoping to check on Patricia. It was stupid of him to even think about looking at her anymore, but he did genuinely feel bad about what he did.

But there was a sign taped to her window, words written in thick black marker.

_This window is out of service_.

He almost found it funny before remembering why it was there in the first place. The events came rushing back as he closed his curtains- that didn't need to be the first thing he saw the next morning.

* * *

Sunday passed uneventfully. Though his mom had mentioned she could drive him somewhere, Eddie didn't _need _to be anywhere. There was no Amber to please, and no Mick to play sports with, and no Jerome to prank with. There wasn't even a Joy to talk to.

He debated calling KT, since he figured they had gotten along pretty well before and they could relate now, but quickly dismissed the idea. KT probably felt more than a little tired of him- Eddie, like everyone else, hadn't really stopped Amber when she kicked KT out. And besides, didn't KT hang out with Patricia and Fabian now? She definitely wouldn't side with Eddie.

Fabian himself was off the list; ever since the talk in the library he had regarded Eddie as some kind of disgusting piece of trash. And anyone else Eddie might've remotely known, he wasn't comfortable calling. For someone who used to be so popular, his list of friends was limited.

And so he spent his Sunday carefully counting out a hundred pounds, Patricia's voice ringing in his head.

_I hope the money was worth it, Eddie._

* * *

Word had spread.

He didn't know how Amber and Joy had managed to contact everybody, but Monday morning, every student knew he was out. Suddenly, Eddie was the one who navigated the halls with his head down and sat at the back of the classroom as everyone shot him dirty looks. It didn't seem like anyone even knew Patricia had been involved though- nobody was looking at her weirdly. Some people simply didn't seem to care about what had happened between him and Amber, figuring it was a temporary thing. Because of that, he made it through his morning classes fairly easily, remaining quiet unless he was called on.

But now it was lunchtime.

Sitting with KT wasn't an option- Patricia and Fabian sat with her. And all three of them didn't really like him at the moment. But where else could he sit? Even though he knew almost everybody in this school, half of them hated him because of his actions as a popular, and half of them didn't really know him well enough to let him sit at their table.

"Could I, uh, sit here?" He finally chanced it and approached a girl with strawberry-blonde hair, who nodded eagerly and scooted over. Her three friends sat around her, but they looked so different it seemed as the only way they could've been grouped was because they all were outcasts.

"I'm Willow," she greeted after a moment of silence, outstretching her hand in a formal manner, yet giggling when he shook it. "That's Alfie," she pointed to a dark-skinned boy. "He likes aliens." He waved slightly, and Alfie smiled in return. "That's Mara; she's smart. And that's Nina; she's giving off bad vibes." Willow shook her head sadly as she looked towards Nina, who raised an eyebrow.

"I'm Eddie," he introduced, which was met with silence. They knew who he was; everybody in this school knew who he was. More awkward silence followed his greeting, and he began doubting his decision to sit here.

"So what's up with all the rumors?" Willow finally burst. "I'm not getting bad vibes from you…you seem nice."

"I made some mistakes," he muttered, unwrapping his sandwich. Mara and Alfie had quickly ignored him and began a conversation over what sounded like alien existence. Nina was alternating between staring down at her salad and Fabian's table, and Willow leaned towards him slightly before whispering.

"Nina's sad because she and her boyfriend broke up," Willow remarked before looking off at a nearby table. "And it looks like Fabian's already moved on." Eddie followed her line of sight to see Patricia and KT on either side of Fabian, laughing and talking animatedly. Sure, Patricia looked a little subdued, but other than that, she was fine. She was…smiling. Maybe not as wide as KT and maybe not as happily as Fabian, but still.

Eddie watched as Nina excused herself from the table- she had obviously heard Willow talking. Mara and Alfie looked up as she left, and then turned to grin at Eddie.

"Hey," Alfie said, way more enthusiastic than before. Eddie raised an eyebrow at the behavioral change before looking to Mara.

She grinned, "We've been trying to be supportive of Nina, you know? Bringing another guy into the group is kind of like replacing Fabian. Sorry about the rude welcome." Eddie smiled- he could do this. No one at this table seemed to care what he had done.

Willow leaned over the table. "So, _who _do you think he's moved on to?" she asked curiously, innocently.

"Uh, KT, maybe?" Alfie speculated, looking over. "They look close."

Mara bit her lip, "But KT used to be one of the popular people. You know how- oh, sorry, Eddie." She looked down sheepishly.

"It was my fault," Eddie admitted. Maybe he could set some people straight about what had happened, give them his view point? Sure, nobody would particularly _listen _to Willow, Mara, and Alfie, but it would be nice having someone on his side.

"How so?" Willow asked.

No, he couldn't tell people what had happened- they would all hate him, and Willow, Mara, and Alfie would kick him out from the table and he would have to eat in the library. They might not care what happened between the popular people, but bringing Patricia into it had been wrong and even they would agree. Eddie shrugged nonchalantly, "I just…did some things I'm not proud of, you know?"

Alfie nodded, "Jerome was involved?"

Eddie looked up in surprise, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

The normally fun boy looked slightly bitter as he now talked. "Used to be his best friend; Lewis and Clarke. Now it's just Clarke." He looked wistful as he watched the popular table, where Jerome looked dreadfully out of place, quiet as Amber made extravagant hand gestures and Mick and Joy talked.

Eddie turned to Alfie once more, who was being comforted by Willow. Nina still hadn't returned and Mara was glancing anxiously at the lunchroom door. At their table, Patricia, Fabian, and KT had started a steady conversation, laughing and smiling and eating.

And it was in that moment, surrounded by at least a hundred people, did Eddie feel alone.

* * *

Patricia was nervous. She was definitely nervous as to what KT and Fabian would think of her new side. Actually, it wasn't particularly new as it was simply unknown to them. They'd always known her as quiet and bitter, but they'd still sat with her at lunch and talked. In return, Patricia figured she should consult them about her experiment to see if actually being her true self was a good idea.

"Hey," she greeted nervously, setting down her tray.

"Hey," KT said. "Did you hear what happened with Eddie and Amber?" Patricia raised an eyebrow- she knew the story was going around, but wasn't sure she was included or if it was even the truth. So far, it was mainly revolved around why Eddie got kicked out of his exclusive group of friends- neither Patricia nor the bet were even mentioned.

Patricia sighed as she sat down, "I was there."

Fabian's head shot up, "You got involved with him."

Patricia immediately got defensive, "I didn't get _involved _with anybody. Maybe I was a bit stupid, but I was not on a date with him and he did not cheat on Amber with _me_. The only reason he dragged me to that party was on a-"

"_Bet_," Fabian finished. KT looked confused as her eyes darted in between the Brits, if not surprised at how easily Patricia was willing to talk. "I told you not to trust him."

"And I didn't," Patricia shot back. "And it's not like you told me exactly what was going on, Fabian." She glared at him but internally reprimanded herself. She had possessed doubts on Eddie, so she couldn't pin this problem down on Fabian. "But after…all that…I, was, uh, thinking. And I don't think I've been completely honest with you guys."

KT raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Patricia sighed, "You know how when you do something and get in trouble, you usually don't do it again?" Both KT and Fabian nodded. "Well, for me, that was talking. I was always getting in trouble for saying what I wanted. So I shut up. But…I think I've given people here the wrong image. They think that because I don't talk to them, I won't object to being pushed around." She paused, trying to figure out how to phrase this. "And I don't _want _to be pushed around."

"So, what are you saying?" Fabian asked. "You're going to start talking more?"

"Yeah," Patricia smiled. Small grins lit Fabian's and KT's face, as if they were waiting for something like this. She felt overjoyed herself, overjoyed that they were actually rooting for her like this. "You would not believe how many times I wanted to talk back to Amber."

KT laughed, "Oh, I can imagine…"

* * *

"Edison Miller to the principal's office," Mr. Sweet announced over the intercom. Several people eyed him suspiciously as he made his way out the door of his English classroom. The halls were empty as expected and Eddie's mind went into overdrive.

"Ah, Edison," his father greeted, peering over his glasses. Eddie rolled his eyes; his father always looked surprised to see him, even though it was he who had called him down in the first place. "Please, do sit."

Eddie cautiously sat down, "Look, before you say anything, I'm sorry. I should've been at your place like we had agreed." He genuinely did feel sorry- and besides, if he _had _gone to Eric's house and not the party, none of this would have happened. Sure, maybe he would still have the bet hanging over his head but the positives outweighed the negatives. If he hadn't gone to the party last night, Amber might still be his girlfriend, he would still be cool, he wouldn't be grounded, his father wouldn't be heartbroken, and Patricia wouldn't be out to get him.

Maybe there would be normalcy in his life had he not gone.

"Your mother tells me you were at a party?" Eric intruded, though his eyes showed a certain level of disappointment in Eddie, ditching him for something like that.

"Yeah," Eddie grimaced. "It…that was a bad decision. I should've been at your house."

Eric nodded, "Shall we reschedule? I'm free this upcoming Saturday."

"Sure," Eddie shrugged. "I'm free every day now actually."

* * *

Handing Jerome the money passed quickly and discreetly and easier than Eddie had anticipated. Luckily, Jerome had cornered him after last period and Eddie had parted with his hundred pounds in a way nobody else could see.

Now, Eddie walked home. He had looked around for Patricia before setting off- he didn't want to encounter her on the way, unlike most days. She was well in front of him, hair bouncing on her backpack as she walked, boots stamping the sidewalk. Eddie sighed- one part of him wanted to constantly apologize to her and the other wanted to pretend it had never happened. One sliver of him even wanted to ignore her and see what she did- she how she 'ruined his life'. It couldn't exactly get worse than this.

Once he was inside his room, safe and sound from his mother's endless questions, he let himself relax. It_ was going to be okay._ This would all blow over. He had made new friends…if Willow, Mara, Alfie, and the disappearing Nina could be counted as friends. He would make it.

And then he looked out his window at the paper taped on Patricia's.

_How does it feel, huh_?

No way was he letting him get the best of her. Eddie grabbed a piece of paper and his own black marker, sticking up his sign with some tape.

_Terrific_.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and feedback! This chapter took me a long time to write, especially since Patricia's opening up carefully and Eddie's kind of hesitant on what to do. It still doesn't feel right to me, but I would love to see your opinions.**

It was during dinner that night that his mom finally told him. The two were having Chinese take-out because Ms. Miller didn't feel like cooking. Eddie didn't mind really- his mother wasn't the best cook, so this was actually a pretty good dinner.

His mum cleared her throat and he looked up, "Eddie?"

"Yeah, mom?" Eddie asked, trying to use his chopsticks but failing. He finally gave up and gave his mother his undivided attention.

"I, uh, have a date tonight," Ms. Miller announced, eyeing him carefully for a reaction. Eddie raised his eyebrow- his mother often did have dates, ever since she joined a matchmaking website. She never brought any of the guys home to meet Eddie, so he figured it wasn't that serious. Still, the way she told him the news made him nervous and uneasy. Usually, whenever his mum went on dates, she just left him home alone. This night shouldn't be any different, even if it was a Monday.

"So?" Eddie finally asked.

"Is it okay if I drop you off at the Williamsons'?" She asked it suddenly, and for a minute, Eddie couldn't even register what she had said. But the moment he did, questions arose. The Williamsons weren't his babysitters- Eddie was his own babysitter, and his mom often realized that. She wasn't usually hesitant to leave him home alone, even on the strangest nights.

"_What_?"

"I'll be back by 9:00," she promised. "It's just…"

"You don't trust me to stay at home," Eddie finished, hurt in his eyes. His mother's trust had been broken that night he didn't visit Eric, but to drop him off at the neighbor's house was just plain low.

"It's not that," Ms. Miller reassured frantically, but Eddie was smart enough to see through her lies.

"Whatever," he said, looking down at his food again. If he could just avoid Patricia, he'd be fine. Piper was nice, maybe she and Eddie could talk the whole time.

"Eddie?" his mom whispered softly, looking almost fragile. Eddie's eyes filled with concern- sure, he was a bit resentful right now, but his mother had never sounded like this before and he was worried too. She gave him a weak smile, "I think I really like this guy I'm going out with."

Eddie's eyes widened- was she trying to tell him something, that some guy from a dating website might be his stepfather? His mom chuckled, almost as if she had read his thoughts, "I'm not…_in love _with him or anything. I just, uh, wanted you to know that I could really use your support right now." She had tears glistening in her eyes and Eddie found himself nodding- he couldn't upset his mother right now, even if he was still questionable about this new guy. "He makes me happy, Eddie."

And in the end, Eddie ended up begrudgingly going to the Williamsons' house. His mom covered ground rules as they left: he was to behave politely and express his gratitude to Mrs. Williamson.

It seemed simple enough.

* * *

"Patricia, Piper!" Patricia groaned as she heard her name be called- she had just finished her homework and all she was looking forward to was relaxing with her headphones. She certainly didn't want to be lectured by her mother- because that's what it had to be, right? A lecture? That's what it always was.

Nevertheless, Patricia rushed downstairs after Piper. Mrs. Williamson was definitely short-tempered, and it had been a good day for Patricia overall. She didn't feel like ruining it.

"Yeah, mum?" Piper asked, Patricia right beside her.

"Eddie will be coming over," their mum announced, breathless.

"_Eddie_?" Patricia sneered. No, he _couldn't _be coming here- she already dealt with him enough in school.

"This late?" Piper asked, obviously having different concerns.

"Yes," Mrs. Williamson sighed. "I was talking to his mother and she had a date tonight and was wondering what to do with Eddie. It didn't sound like she wanted to leave him alone, so I offered to look after him."

"_Why _would you do that?" Patricia shook her head in dismay, and her mother turned to glare at her.

"Ms. Miller has been nothing but nice to us, feeding us dinner that night. She's my friend, Patricia. So, for my sake, could you please try and get along with her kid?"

Patricia wrinkled her nose, deciding to be blunt. "No." Eddie was awful and there was no way she would _ever '_get along' with him.

Her mother sighed, but the doorbell rang before she could say much more than, "He'll be gone by nine." Patricia watched as her mum put on a smile and opened the door for Eddie. Peeking over at him, he looked just like Patricia, bored and not wanting to be here.

"Welcome," Mrs. Williamson grinned, and Piper beamed slightly from beside her. Patricia rolled her eyes until Piper nudged her to be nice. It was only then that she offered a sarcastic little smile to Eddie, who rolled his eyes at the gesture but sent her a pleading look. Patricia froze- was he asking for forgiveness or something? "Patricia and Piper can give you a tour of our house."

"I never agreed to this," Patricia muttered, following behind Piper, who was already walking up to Eddie and chatting as if they were old friends. Her mum gave her a warning glance before leaving the room.

"Hi, Eddie," Piper beamed. "How are you?"

He looked somewhat confused with the question, and Patricia snickered. None of his friends asked that- Piper was just overly friendly. "I'm good," he responded. "Er…you?"

"Never better," Piper grinned, and Patricia rolled her eyes once more. (She had a feeling she'd be doing that a lot today.) "And Patricia's overjoyed that you're here as well." Eddie gave a laugh of disbelief before his eyes landed on her.

Patricia furrowed her eyebrows at Piper's behavior, and looked to Eddie, who seemed curious as to what she'd do next. She fumed- just _looking _at him brought back the memories of that night, and with that came back the attitude she had possessed. "Patricia can speak, you know," the redhead pitched in, and Piper just turned to glare at her.

Eddie gave a nervous chuckle as the two interacted, and Patricia caused her arms. It was times like this she'd wished she'd told Piper about the bet- if she had, then Piper would be on her side and glaring at him.

"Here, let's sit," her twin suggested, heading into the common room and taking a seat in the armchair. Patricia scowled as she looked at the sofa- there was only one, which meant she had to sit next to Eddie. Eddie didn't look too thrilled at the idea either, but obligingly sat down next to her. Their sides were almost touching and it had to be the most awkward position Patricia had gotten herself into.

Piper had already started talking, mindless chatter about everyday things. It was easy to tell Eddie wasn't interested- to be honest, neither was Patricia.

At one point, midway through Piper's unprompted discussion of the violin, Eddie leaned in _closer _to Patricia to whisper in her ear. She stiffened at their near proximity as he spoke, "And, just for the record, I made some new friends today. Thanks for the concern though." He pulled back and had the audacity to send her a little smirk, as if making friends was some impossible feat.

It was times like these when she realized who she was up against: arrogant, mouthy people with big egos. Eddie might've been kicked out of the popular club, but right now, he wasn't acting like it. He was being self-centered and stupid and challenging and her mind flashed back to the boy who put the pin in her hair and told her she looked good. Where had he gone?

She shook her head- he was never there in the first.

* * *

Eddie didn't know what made him whisper that in her ear- he just needed to tell her. He couldn't keep let Patricia thinking he was miserable- that would give her the satisfaction she needed.

By this point, Eddie had completely brainwashed himself into thinking this whole thing should be over and done with. It was _Jerome _that had made the bet and besides, Eddie had already kind of apologized to Patricia on the porch the other day. How could she make his life worse than it already was? If they both just forgot about the whole thing, they would never have to interact again save meetings like this. They could live their individual lives peacefully.

But Eddie knew the truth that was gnawing at him. There was a difference in between saying sorry and receiving forgiveness. He hadn't gotten his yet, because there was no way Patricia would forgive him.

And she sure as hell wouldn't forget either.

"So, why are you here, Eddie?" Piper asked, pulling Eddie out of his thoughts. "If you don't mind telling."

"No, it's fine," Eddie reassured. "My mom's on a date."

"On a _Monday _night? What, you can't stay home by yourself?" Patricia snorted rudely. Eddie knew he shouldn't be surprised he was getting this treatment, but every time she made a snarky comment, he found himself going back to that night all over again. The threats, the anger blazing in her eyes...

"Guess not," Eddie shrugged slightly- he was treading carefully, not wanting to upset Patricia more than he had already. Right now, the objective was just to continue on as if nothing had happened. He wasn't sure if Piper knew what had happened, but he was leaning towards the fact that she was oblivious.

And suddenly, the words slipped out before he could even know he was saying them. Piper was just easy to talk to- maybe that's why he said it. "She really likes this guy she's on a date with."

But Patricia just _had _to but in and make him feel worse, mocking a baby's voice as she talked. "Aw, is Eddie getting a new daddy?"

Ouch.

Eddie stiffened beside her- family was a sensitive topic for him. Patricia should've understood- her father was in the damn _military_, she should've known not to overstep those boundaries. Social life and family life were two very different things, not to be intertwined.

He looked over her, seeing the silent challenge in her eyes. She was determined to make him feel like she did that night- worthless, friendless, and unwanted. Eddie gulped- this had _hurt _though in ways unimaginable. He had been pushing the obvious thought back all evening- what if his mom eventually _married _this guy?

Eddie should've had a comeback as usual, but when people mentioned anything paternal, he froze up like he was now. "I, uh, need to go and use the bathroom."

Piper nodded slightly before directing him down the hall.

He could stay in that bathroom until his mom came.

* * *

"Patricia," Piper gasped after he left, and her twin rolled her eyes. Patricia didn't think she had said anything bad- she had done what she had promised herself she'd do, open up, be feistier. This was actually _good _in her mind- she wasn't being pushed around anymore. Maybe it was her house that had fueled her to say it- this was where she was at her sassiest, this was the place she was really herself- around her family. Because they had to love her, even if she snapped and rolled her eyes constantly. Besides, if Piper knew what Eddie had done to her, she wouldn't be so quick to judge. "That was _very _mean."

Patricia crossed her arms and leaned back- sure, it was mean, but it was _needed_.

"You have to apologize," Piper stated.

"What? No way!" If she apologized, it would defeat the whole purpose.

"Patricia," Piper reprimanded before lowering his voice. "We know more than anyone what it's like." Patricia sighed; that much was true. With their father gone on duty, both girls felt the impact of no father there. Eddie might be the same story, and if he was, she had seriously hurt him by making that comment. Piper continued in a soft voice, "Think about how you felt when he left."

And she remembers biting back tears every time he leaves; she remembers hugging her father while he promised them he would come back. Did Eddie feel the same when his father left him, when his parents divorced?

Patricia had a heart, and right now, it was consumed with some kind of guilt as she bit her lip and lowered his head.

"Fine. I'll apologize."


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Patricia paused, hand curled into a fist and ready to knock on the bathroom door. She doubted Eddie was really _going _to the bathroom- he was probably just sitting there and trying to avoid her. He still had an hour before his mum came home, and he was obviously planning to spend it alone. And as much as she wanted to say he was overreacting, she couldn't. She had approached a sensitive topic, and even she recognized that.

But he _deserved _it, didn't he? What was one comment opposed to a bet? She had been a victim of a week's worth of teasing and torturing and of Eddie pretending to be the good guy. In the end, it had all crumbled. One hurtful comment about his father could not hold a candle to all that.

Nevertheless, Patricia was pretty sure Piper was watching her, so she couldn't go back and say she had apologized when she really hadn't. She sighed before finally knocking.

Eddie scrambled out in a short amount of time, and she stood back, waiting for him to say something as their eyes locked. Patricia knew he had probably expected her mother or Piper, but no, she had come to apologize. It was something she didn't do often, so it was hard to force the words 'I'm sorry' out of her mouth when he should be the one saying that to _her_.

"Oh," he finally muttered, looking down at his shoes. "Did you, uh, need to use the bathroom or something?"

"No," Patricia admitted, crossing her arms. "I guess I...kind of owe you an apology." The words felt bitter on her tongue- why was she apologizing? He should be groveling at his knees for her forgiveness; he was the cause of all of this. "So," she gulped before gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes to brace herself. "I guess…I'm sorry." When Eddie didn't say anything, she opened her eyes to gauge his reaction.

Eddie looked a little lost and majorly confused as she spoke. Was that a tinge of guilt in his eyes? "Did Piper make you say that?"

Patricia scowled but didn't answer, probably giving Eddie the confirmation he needed.

"Look," Eddie sighed, catching on to her bitter manner. "About that night-" Patricia's eyes widened in alarm and she quickly pressed a finger to his lips before realizing what she was doing. Eddie was looking down at her finger, but he made no move to take it off his lips. It was Patricia who did that, awkwardly stuffing her hand in her pocket.

"Piper's probably watching us," Patricia whispered. "And she can probably hear us too." The last thing she needed was her twin knowing about this bet- there would be endless hours of questioning and countless days of reliving and retelling if Piper knew.

Eddie raised an eyebrow, and Patricia twisted one of her bracelets to distract herself. She did _want _to talk about that night, but at the same time, she didn't want to hear his explanations. He had played her and acted like a friend and that was all there was to it.

However, she also wanted her apology. Some part of her wanted to put this all behind and just _forget _about Eddie Miller. Some part of her wanted to be able to walk the halls with him and just think of him as another classmate, a neighbor, an acquaintance at most. But she knew that would never happen, whether he apologized or not. To her, he would always be a liar.

"Let's go in this room," Patricia finally let out a small sigh, beckoning for him to come into the downstairs bedroom. She sat down on the bed and tried to make herself as small as possible, carefully outlining the distance Eddie had to preserve between them.

"Well?" she looked up once Eddie didn't say anything.

"Right," Eddie nodded, sitting down as well. "Do you mind if I start from the beginning?" Patricia shook her head.

"Okay," he started. "So, it all started a couple weeks back when Jerome and Mick came over. We were playing Truth or Dare, and Jerome dared me to get you to go out with me. And then it became a bet." He paused to see her reaction, and Patricia fought to remain emotionless. "And, I don't know, I just…agreed. And so I tried to get close to you, start with being a friend. But you obviously knew something was up. So…that day that we held up signs, I asked you to go out with me because I wanted to get the bet over with. I just didn't feel like going through with it anymore, you know? And then you said no, so when we went to the party, I just lied and said you were my date." He breathed out a sigh of relief.

Patricia looked down, thinking. It hadn't sounded like he was particularly fond of the bet, but that didn't mean much considering he had still accepted it. The words tumbled out of her, "Why would you do that? I mean, you weren't my friend. Not even close," she clarified quietly, not raising her voice but keeping it firm and stern. She wanted to stop talking, but some sliver of her was urging her on. _Speak your mind, Patricia_. It was the only way she was going to get answers. "But," she sighed. "You weren't who I thought you'd be either."

Eddie raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, stunned by this rare show of feeling. Patricia took the chance to keep talking, mostly to herself, "I was stupid to think that maybe one of you popular people were actually half decent." It was a comment full of resent and regret but actually one of the best compliments Patricia gave out- 'half decent' was probably the nicest thing she had ever said to him.

Patricia waited for him to say something, and after a while, Eddie finally did. "You know, I used to think you didn't have feelings." She looked up and scoffed, and he rushed to correct himself. "Like, I knew you _had _feelings, it's just you never showed them." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, "So I just kind of forgot they were there."

Patricia remained silent, not sure what to say. Eddie mumbled a couple last words, "And I'm sorry." That was it- that was the apology she had been waiting for, thinking it'd make everything better.

But it didn't.

A moment of silence passed, full of contemplation. Patricia wasn't sure what to say or what to do, but she knew the truth.

"I don't know whether I forgive you or not," she finally admitted. "I don't know if I can." Eddie nodded as if he was expecting the answer, and Patricia continued, much to her surprise. It was as if she didn't have any control over what she wanted to say, and while she hated that, it also gave her the chance to say things she wouldn't normally and let them off her chest. "I tried to be bolder," she started. "That's why I made that comment." She bit the inside of her cheek, "Guess I should just stick to being quiet, yeah?"

"No," Eddie answered, surprising both himself and Patricia. "You- you shouldn't let people push you around." Eddie sighed, thinking of middle school, a time before he met Amber. Fabian and he hadn't been the most liked in school, and it was only after he became popular that he finally got respected. And maybe he had been the one to strike the hardest blow against Patricia, but he was also the one who knew most that she didn't deserve it. This girl he had come to know…was she that nice? That friendly? That open? No.

But that night he had figured something out, while her finger jabbed at his chest.

She had _feelings_. Maybe he hadn't fully acknowledged them before, but that didn't mean they weren't there. The fire in her eyes as she fumed, the looks of regret she sent him when their eyes locked- maybe she was a master of hiding her emotions, seeming uncaring because it was beneficial in the end. Eddie supposed he couldn't really criticize, considering he was the tiniest bit similar.

Patricia was silent for a while before finally outstretching her hand. "How about we make a deal? I'm not going to forgive and neither of us are going to forget…but maybe we can…pretend like nothing happened?"

"We could go on with our lives," Eddie nodded, understanding what she was saying. "Without talking, without being near each other."

"No ties between us," Patricia continued.

"We won't be mean to each other," Eddie said, remembering her promise to ruin his life. Patricia rolled her eyes, but it looked as if she was taking back the threat. "But we won't be friends either."

"We'll be nice to each other when we need to," Patricia finally finished, and Eddie shook her hand. What the two had just come up with was a way to avoid each other, only thinking about each other during appropriate times, like if Patricia came over for dinner again at the Miller's. They could lead independent lives and pretend as if they were never connected, as if they were simply neighbors that said 'hi' to each other when suitable but nothing more. It was a good deal simply because it gave them both a chance to move in- Patricia didn't want to think about him whenever she put a bobby pin in her hair and Eddie didn't want to think about her whenever he wrote on his whiteboard.

"So," Eddie scratched the back of his neck as he checked his phone for the time. It was nearing 9:00 and he needed to get back home. "I guess this is it." Patricia raised an eyebrow at his word choice, but Eddie ignored it. He stood up and she mimicked.

"You're not a freak, Patricia," he muttered, lightly patting her on the back. It was a friendly gesture that Patricia wasn't used to.

"And you're not a _complete _asshole," she shrugged, lightening the mood. Was she actually joking with him about this?

Eddie gave a light chuckle before making his way to the door, "See you at school tomorrow."

"See you."

And once he left, Patricia flopped down on the bed. No more Eddie Miller. _No more Eddie Miller_.

She felt better than she had in days.

**THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY.**

**It's more like a break; an intermission, a part one and then the next series of chapters will be a part two. But it is far from over yet, so keep reading please.**


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**There is a giant time skip in this chapter and things have slightly changed.**

Months passed uneventfully, weather changing from cold to colder, and the air full of stress. Midterms were right around the corner, and no one could really focus on the idea of a holiday break when the prospect of failing exams came into play. Lunch soon became study hall, and Fabian, Nina, Mara, and KT were often rushing to the library during spare time.

Yes, Fabian and Nina did eventually get back together. It was actually a lot more consequential than Patricia would've originally thought- suddenly, two groups were lumping together to form one. Willow, Nina, Mara and Alfie welcomed Fabian back, but needless to say, KT and Patricia were quite uncomfortable with all the new people. Eddie, too, was a bit of a problem. Fabian had looked to Patricia before merging the two groups, and she had nodded her consent. It wouldn't be fair to hold Fabian back from his friends because of one person. Besides, Eddie and she had made a deal that called for being neutral with each other. Oftentimes at the lunch table, they didn't even talk to each other. Their interaction was limited, especially around this time, with Eddie mysteriously disappearing halfway through every lunch period. Patricia seemed to be the only one curious about his absence, almost following him before remembering their deal. They didn't get involved in each other's lives if they could help it.

It was the last two days before holiday break that it finally happened. Everything had been going smoothly for everyone- Patricia had improved in standing up for herself, and once Amber realized that, she quit teasing her for the time being. Eddie was no longer looked at weirdly, and the group of eight were feeling happier than usual. Drama hadn't gone down in a while, and while that should've been some kind of foreshadowing, no one really cared or had the time to with the buzz of the holidays.

Eddie had mysteriously 'disappeared' during lunch again, and once more, Patricia seemed to be the only one to notice. With Fabian and Nina being mushy, Alfie and Willow enjoying their newfound relationship, and KT and Mara becoming fast friends, Patricia was the observer. Not everyone in the group was her friend- KT and Fabian were her only _real_ friends, and maybe Alfie if the time came. Willow was too peppy for Patricia to get along with, and Mara and Nina she never got the chance to really _know_, considering Nina was wrapped up in Fabian and Mara in a textbook. And Eddie? Eddie was a…casual acquaintance. Wasn't that the word they had agreed to call each other?

"Hey, KT?" Patricia tapped the girl on the shoulder, mustering up some courage. She shouldn't care where Eddie had gone, they didn't butt into each other's lives. But Patricia was naturally suspicious, and she just _had _to know. Eddie didn't seem to care all too much for grades, so going to the library to study was highly unlikely. "Have you seen Eddie?"

KT raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised by the sudden concern. "…no." She looked around, "Where is he?"

"That's what I was asking you," Patricia muttered, slightly irritated. She jabbed at her lunch, deciding to take her anger out on her salad.

"Mara, do you know where Eddie is?" KT asked. While she did kind of hold a grudge against Eddie because of what he did to Patricia, it was easy to relate to him. Former popular kid now in the lowest status- they had quickly become friends once more and frankly, she was worried.

"No," Mara said after a moment, looking curiously at the spot at where Eddie was sitting minutes ago. "Hey, Willow? Have you seen Eddie?"

Patricia rolled her eyes as the question made its way around the table, everyone giving a negative answer. Even Nina had torn apart from Fabian, "Where could he _be_? It's not-"

"Ah, Edison," a voice said, and the whole lunchroom silenced, Nina quieting. The voice was louder than them all, and it was coming from the intercom. It was obviously Mr. Sweet, but why would Eddie be in his office? As far as Patricia knew, Eddie had done nothing wrong. Not school-related at least. "How have you been?"

"Fine, Eric," Eddie's voice came through, and murmurs filled the cafeteria. Since when were Eddie Miller and the school's principal on a first name basis? "You?"

"Well, I just wanted to discuss our holiday plans," Mr. Sweet said, and Patricia looked across the room to see how the popular people were handling this. They seemed as surprised as the rest, meaning they were obviously were as clueless as everyone else.

"Um," Eddie's hesitation was vibrating through the lunchroom. "Well, mom wanted me to spend it with her…"

Patricia narrowed her eyes at the loudspeaker as Mr. Sweet's words came out, "Well, I _am _your father, Edison. I have a right to spending time with you as well!"

_Father_.

Eric Sweet was Eddie Miller's _father_.

It explained so much- the random disappearances during lunchtime, how tensed up he got when people bagged on the principal, the reason why Mr. Sweet looked so unhappy the day after that Monday after that party months ago. Eddie was probably supposed to meet Eric that night when he tried to get Patricia to cover for him but rather ended up dragging her along.

_Father_.

The cafeteria burst out in laughter as it sunk in, but the group of seven exchanged a glance. Every student was filing out of the lunchroom, and soon enough, Fabian led the group to follow. They pushed past several people until they were up front, right next to the popular kids, Alfie's arm skimming Jerome's.

Eddie came out soon enough, Mr. Sweet following, wringing his hands. Eddie skimmed everyone watching, eyes finally resting on his friends and the people he had once called his friends. His eyes were filled with some kind of hurt and some kind of shame.

"Sweetie Jr.," Jerome stepped up to clap Eddie on the back, holding back a snicker, and Patricia just watched, silently. She could hear Fabian and Nina muttering a plan to the others, but she didn't take part. She just stood there and watched the public humiliation go on.

"I can't believe I used to date _him_," Amber muttered to Joy, but it was intentionally loud enough for anyone close enough to hear. Everyone was closing in on Eddie and he couldn't push past the crowd- that much was obvious. They were all laughing so hard- there hadn't been much to giggle about the past week because of exams, and this was their moment to let it all out. Patricia flashed back to middle school, standing in the middle of a group of kids, laughing at her for the stupidest reasons and offering the stupidest excuses. She remembered vowing to stay under the radar, and bit her lip as Eddie clenched his eyes shut in frustration. The memories are too strong for her; she's been placed in situations just like this and the reminders were frightening.

Eddie looked as if he was going to punch something, when suddenly Fabian stepped in front of him and pushed Jerome back, daring. The tall blonde looked down at him in surprise- everyone did, in fact. Acts of defiance were rare, and if they did occur, it was usually private. Not in front of the whole student body and not from people like Fabian.

"Leave Eddie alone," Fabian gritted his teeth and Patricia looked on, impressed. Hadn't Eddie ditched him once before? She would've never been able to do what Fabian had just done- act so selfless for someone who had wronged her.

"What are you going to do about it, nerd?" Mick asked, and while it was mean, he almost sounded _curious_. Fabian didn't have a chance to answer though, because Nina and KT quickly stepped into the picture.

"Leave him alone!" they both seethed, before glaring at each other. Patricia's eyes widened- were the two _jealous _of each other? She had been watching them for a while, playing the observer, but they had showed no signs of rivalry until today.

"Yeah," Mara crossed her arms, walking over. It was no secret she and Fabian had been good friends, being the only ones with a freakishly high GPA. But to walk into something dangerous like that was something Patricia hadn't seen coming.

"Aw, you have all the _girls _defending you, Eddie," Amber pouted, but her face was rid of sympathy. A snicker went through the halls and Fabian glared at her, offended.

"Not just girls," Alfie muttered, coming into play and locking eyes with Jerome. Willow quickly followed so that soon enough, the only one left was Patricia. She sighed before stepping in. Her and Eddie might've just been acquaintances, but Fabian was a real friend to her. And so was KT and maybe Alfie.

"Oh wow, _these _are your friends these days, Eddie?" Jerome smirked, surveying the group condescendingly, conveniently avoiding Alfie's eyes. "Four nerds, a joker, a hippie and the _freak_?" Patricia glared at him- Jerome had been there, she had grabbed Jerome's collar and forced him to tell her where the exit was. He knew better than most that she could be very intimidating- he had experienced it, hadn't he?

"You know, Patricia," Jerome said, stepping closer to the redhead and burying his hands in his pockets. Her eyes bugged but she didn't say anything. She felt so short and so powerless, but nevertheless, she shot a glare. She's done that a lot- it's a defense mechanism that usually scares people off before they can even talk. He had talked though, and more so called her by her first name, and while that was surprising, that probably wasn't the worst. "I'm actually quite surprised by you. Sticking up for Eddie, of all people." Patricia felt KT and Fabian's stares as she bit the inside of her cheek to brace herself for what would come next. He was not bringing this up- there had been this unspoken agreement between everyone at that party that they _wouldn't bring this up_.

"Considering what he did," Jerome said, so quietly that maybe only her friends and his could hear it. He backed away from Patricia, voice getting louder, "Just saying. Why would you stick up for someone who was never there for you?"

_Why would you stick up for someone that was never there for you?_

"Someone that lied to you?" Jerome smirked, and whispers fled through the hall. Eddie was quickly forgotten in exchange for Patricia's misery.

_Someone that lied to you._

And as the bell rang and the halls cleared, Jerome gave her one last smug look, "Think about it."

Patricia and Eddie had a deal- act as if it had never happened. Don't forgive and don't forget, but just _act _like it hadn't happened, and everything would be okay. Treat each other nicely if called for, but avoid interaction if possible. That was their deal. The deal that had gotten them through months of going to the same school and living right next to each other and even sitting at the same lunch table.

But Patricia's throat had constricted at Jerome's words- there were too many memories in one place. Too many reminders of how no one would actually ever just be there for her on first instinct. No one would do that. No one would ever do that.

Willow, Mara, and Nina were going to class, offering Patricia questioning glances but nothing more. KT and Fabian had rushed over and silently asked if she was okay while Alfie had patted her back. He didn't know exactly what had happened but Patricia was sure he had an inkling.

And Eddie. Right there, right in front of her as everyone else left, gazing at her intently. They both knew what had just happened- unwittingly, she had taken the blow for him. Nobody had paid attention to _him _once Jerome started talking- no, the eyes were on Patricia. For that moment, everyone had forgotten he was 'Sweetie Jr.' His eyes were full of some kind of remorse but he quickly shook his head, breaking the stare.

They had a deal.

They had a deal.

_They had a deal_.

And so he walked away.

As if nothing had happened.

**Hope you enjoyed! And let's just say, with the holidays coming up and them being neighbors, there _will _be some Patricia/Eddie interaction in a couple chapters or so.**


	18. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

The last day before winter holidays was alive and buzzing with excitement. Eddie would usually be excited too, having just finished his last test, but with people constantly making fun of him, he couldn't bring himself to possess the holiday spirit everyone else could. Plus, his father was still trying to make plans with Eddie, when all the boy wanted to do was stay in one solitary home during the break and relax.

Eddie set down his tray, leaving behind a group of snickering jocks who had been teasing him all day. He sighed, picking at his food before looking around his lunch table. He was finding himself to be eternally grateful for these people; people that didn't judge him and stayed with him even when it caused them getting taunted too. What surprised him more was the fact that _Fabian_, of all people, had been the first to step up. Then KT and Nina, and Mara, Willow and Alfie, and then…Patricia.

_Patricia_.

The deal between them had been going well, so it was a shocker that she stood up for him. (Though he figured it was more for Fabian.) What really bugged him were Jerome's words- Eddie and Patricia had been doing _fine_, so of course, he just had to get involved. But that was what Jerome Clarke was: he messed with peoples' minds, a first class manipulator. Patricia had made progress since she came here, learning to stand up for herself and open up, but when Eddie saw her at that moment, she was the girl that had sat at an empty lunch table the first day of her arrival. The one who walked everywhere with her head down and didn't say anything. Jerome had pushed her back into that realm for some time, and it almost angered Eddie. Ever since he had been getting teased, he understood an inkling of what Patricia had felt. And to make someone relive a time in their life when they were constantly getting pushed around was just _mean_.

"Hey, Eddie," KT waved slightly. Everyone had been treating them somewhat differently since they found out Mr. Sweet was his father- the majority teased him, some tried to bribe him into asking his dad to bring up their grades, and his friends? His friends were _tiptoeing _around him, as if they even mentioned yesterday's 'incident', he would burst into tears.

"Hey," he nodded to her before looking down at his food again. He could still feel KT's stare on him though- actually, _everyone _at the table was staring at him. He looked up, thoroughly annoyed, "What?"

"Nothing," Fabian shrugged. "It's just…you're handling this a lot better than we thought you would." Eddie rolled his eyes- he wasn't a pansy, he wasn't going to have an emotional breakdown every time someone said 'Sweetie Jr.', which had quickly become his new nickname.

"They'll stop eventually," KT offered optimistically, but Eddie shook his head, severely doubting it.

"No, they won't," Patricia scoffed slightly from the other end of the table, and everybody turned to her. Even now, she didn't talk much, so when she did offer up a rare opinion, they learned to pay attention. Her eyes locked with Eddie's, "Once people get something on you, they don't just let it go." It was probably the first meaningful and substantial thing Patricia had said since they made the deal- not just an empty 'how are you' or hollow 'have a good day.'

"What do you mean?" Nina asked quietly- sure, they were all bullied in some way considering they were at the bottom of the high school food chain, but she was still curious. To be honest, Eddie was too. He wanted an elaboration.

"I _mean_, that once these bullies learn something about you that they can use against you, they use it. They use it for a really long time." Patricia's eyes met Eddie's again, "Maybe they even throw it in your face months later." To the others, it might've looked like harmless advice, but Eddie knew exactly what she was doing. She was breaking the deal by talking about it, but she didn't even seem to care. Which she should've, considering she was the one who was so adamant to break all ties with him earlier in the year.

He watched as she quickly looked back down at her food, as if she had suddenly realized she had said too much. A hush fell over the eight after the words of 'wisdom', and it was almost depressing to Eddie, seeing everyone so downcast today. Maybe the holidays could cheer everyone up- seeing family, eating good food.

At least he hoped they would.

* * *

Eddie stepped into his house, cracking a small smile as he announced his arrival. "HONEY, I'M HOME!" Stepping out of the school building _had_ actually lifted his spirits- no more taunting, no more teasing, no more _Patricia _making things all awkward by bringing up subjects they had supposedly buried.

His mom stepped into the foyer to greet him, a smile coloring her face. Eddie's heart swelled at the genuine happiness- the holidays were bringing an effect. England was the best place to celebrate winter by far- it actually _snowed _here, unlike California, where they used to live so many years ago. Though it was horribly cold outside, it actually made Eddie feel all warm inside by doing stereotypical winter weather things, like drinking hot chocolate. California was always too warm for hot chocolate.

"Hey, sweetie," Ms. Miller greeted, pulling Eddie into a hug as he dropped his backpack. He tensed for a moment, hearing 'sweetie' and remembering school, but quickly hugged his mother back in a rare show of affection. The joy was contagious, and just thinking that he wouldn't have to see any of his stupid classmates- no Jerome, no Joy, no Amber, no Mick, no laughing people who pointed at him- made him smile wide.

Ms. Miller pulled back, "Oh, Eddie, I hope you don't mind, but I invited the Williamsons over for dinner tomorrow." Tomorrow. The 22nd. Seriously? Right after Eddie had beamed at the fact that he wouldn't have to see his classmates, his mom said _that_? Admittedly, Patricia wasn't the worst of them, but _still_. He shrugged, trying to remain indifferent. Although he wasn't looking _forward _to seeing Patricia, he found he wasn't dreading it as much as he would've used to. The deal had made things casual between them and lightened the atmosphere so much that they could look at each other most times without dredging up memories.

"Sounds fun," he shrugged.

"Great," she beamed. "Want to help me make cookies?" And he nodded, following, hoping for a chance to lick the bowl clean.

Because this was what a holiday was about.

* * *

"…and so I expect you both to be on your absolute best behavior." Mrs. Williamson warned, casting a long glance at Patricia, who nodded obediently. Patricia, for once, was actually _fine _with seeing Eddie outside of school. Was it ideal? No. Did she particularly _want _to go? No. But it was fine, and after months of practice, she could finally show her mother that yes, she could be civilized with him. (Mrs. Williamson had been harping on Patricia about 'making friends' because she never brought anyone home for a sleepover or anything like that.) Personally, Patricia thought none of her so called 'friends' were close enough to invite over for a sleepover anyways.

"Of course," Piper beamed, and Mrs. Williamson left the room and closed the door. Piper turned to her twin, "So? No complaints?" Patricia studied her twin- they had reconciled over the tiny fight they had about being perfect and such almost two months ago, but it was obvious they were both trying almost _too _hard to be nice to each other.

"What do you mean?" Patricia muttered, although she had a pretty good idea of what Piper was talking about. The last time they had both seen Eddie together, months ago, the day they made the deal, Patricia had a huge fit about how much she didn't want to see the guy. Piper still didn't know her reasons for trying to avoid Eddie, thinking her sister was just being stubborn.

"I kind of expected you to throw a huge fit or something," Piper raised an eyebrow before her eyes lit up. "Oh my god, _you like him_!"

Patricia groaned, "Why is it that you think I like every boy who has ever talked to me?"

"You _like _him, Patricia! My sister has a _crush_!"

"I do not like him," Patricia countered, and it was true. The only reason she could even tolerate Eddie was because they stayed out of each other's way most of the time. If they didn't, it would be an ongoing battle of death glares.

"Yes, you do!" Piper giggled, jumping off of Patricia's bed. "You are _so _in denial!"

"_Piper_."

"I am so getting you guys together," Piper grinned and wiggled her eyebrows before standing up. Patricia's jaw dropped as she attempted to form words- no, she was not _getting together _with Eddie. It was wrong on so many levels, he used her, they had a deal, and frankly, she didn't like him like _that_. To be honest, she didn't like him at _all_. It was times like this she wished she had told Piper what happened, but it'd be awkward to bring up now, and it would bring up all those negative emotions she had learned to push down.

"Piper, if you…" Patricia trailed off. What was she supposed to threaten Piper with? Piper was perfect, Piper didn't do anything wrong. And her twin wasn't as easy to manipulate as before; Piper had learned her tricks a while back.

"Exactly," Piper said, knowing Patricia didn't have anything against her. Patricia scowled, making a mental note to avoid Eddie at all costs tomorrow night. "Now, what are we wearing? We have to make Eddie _want _you!"

Patricia sighed, frustrated, "Piper, I do not like him. He does not like me. We are not even friends."

"Uh-huh," Piper grinned, looking conniving as she reached for a dress from their shared wardrobe. "What about this?"

"No."

"At least try it on," Piper begged. "If you do, I won't talk about Eddie for the rest of the day." Patricia bit her lip, eyes darting between the dress and Piper. She highly doubted it was this big of an event that she had to wear a _dress_, even one as simple and casual as the one Piper was holding. Some 0of the girls at school wore dresses like this, and Patricia simply didn't see the point. 'Dress' just screamed 'too fancy.'

"Fine," she groaned, snatching the dress from her sister's hands and heading to the bathroom. At least it would get her to be quiet. "Only if you shut up about Eddie." Piper just grinned and nodded, shoving her sister into the bathroom.

* * *

Eddie fell back and hit his bed with a thump, covered in flour and frosting. Even he had to admit, he had a fun time baking cookies with his mom. He wouldn't be able to eat one until tomorrow though, when the Williamsons came over.

The Williamsons.

He really needed to stop thinking about them.

Every time he did, he felt the urge to look out his window as he normally would've. But it would be a world of awkwardness if he and Patricia locked eyes once more and they both knew that, so he tried to avoid his room as much as possible so he wouldn't be tempted to look outside. He would've closed his curtains, but the few times his resolve had weakened and he had looked out, he had noticed that Patricia hadn't closed hers. If she could go without the urge to use curtains to stop herself from looking at him, then he could do the same. Therefore, Eddie left his curtains open. It was a test of sorts.

But looking out _once _wouldn't hurt, right?

No, of course not.

Of course not.

Just _one _discreet glance.

And so he looked outside his window.

Patricia and Piper were standing in the middle of their room, and one of them- he didn't know who- was facing his direction, but hadn't noticed he was looking, all too absorbed in a conversation. The one facing him had a dress on, and he figured it was Piper. Piper looked like the type to wear dresses more often than Patricia.

But the girl facing him also had the same rose patterned black tights that Patricia sometimes wore with her skirts at school. It _had _to be her- though he wasn't close enough to provide accurate descriptions, the twin that was facing him had her hair in front of her face instead of pulled back.

_Patricia_ was wearing the dress.

It looked well on her actually, the burgundy a refreshing, though not too drastic, change from the usual black she wore. The dress was very modest with a black crew neck that offset the burgundy. The lace tights pulled it all together, and Patricia actually looked very elegant wearing it. Impossibly girly and different than usual, but still, _elegant_. It accentuated all the right places, unlike the clothes she wore to school, which seemed to be just thrown on without thinking about being on top of the fashion world. Now, though, in a burgundy dress that brought out every feature he had earlier failed to see? Patricia actually looked very pretty.

Wait, what?

Eddie paused, rubbing his eyes and turning away from the window. Had he just called _Patricia _pretty? Sure, she looked nice, but _pretty _was never the word he would first use to describe her. It wasn't as if she was ugly- neither she or Piper were horrific to look at in any way. It was just that, whenever he looked at Patricia, his usual first thoughts were based on the night everything fell apart or focusing on the deal. Even when he had stuck the pin in her hair and complimented her ages ago, it was more for the sake that she kept the pin in. His thoughts had always been focused on the past whenever he saw her- the word 'pretty' had never come to mind.

But this time, he had seen her in a dress- a dress that fit her _very _well- and he had given her a mental compliment without a second thought.

He tried to calm himself down- thinking somebody was pretty was not a horrible thought. He thought Joy was pretty, he thought Nina was pretty, he thought Mara, Willow, and KT were pretty, and frankly, it didn't make a difference.

But _still_.

Screw the curtain test, Eddie thought as he jumped to close his curtains.

He had just called _Patricia Williamson_, of all people, _pretty_.

And that scared him.


	19. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"Welcome!" It was only a minute after Patricia had stepped through the doorway of the Millers house, and she was already being engulfed in a hug. Her first instinct was to pull back, but she quickly caught her mother's eye and sighed, hesitantly patting Ms. Miller on the back in return. The scent of some strong perfume washed over her, and Patricia wrinkled her nose, finally stepping away and giving the lady a slight smile. Ms. Miller didn't even notice though, having already grabbed Piper in a similar hug.

"You ladies look lovely," Ms. Miller complimented them, and Patricia looked down at her dress. It was the same one she had tried on yesterday, and it still felt uncomfortable on her. Piper had said she looked great, but Patricia couldn't really trust Piper's words. The girl would've said anything to keep her in a dress.

Apparently, it _was _that kind of occasion where they had to dress up- Piper was in a dress similar to Patricia's, just in green rather than red. It kind of bugged her actually- why did Piper have to wear almost the _exact _same dress? She was setting them up for comparison- a 'who wore it best' of sorts. And Patricia hated being compared to Piper.

She looked around as Ms. Miller and her mum exchanged greeting, eyes landing on Eddie, who hadn't made any move to greet them. Which Patricia was fine with, actually- she didn't _need _to talk to Eddie. Piper's assumption that Patricia had a 'crush' on him had her on edge- she didn't want to say or do anything that might further convince Piper of it. She didn't even know how Piper could even assume such a thing. It was as if Patricia didn't verbally say she hated someone or something, then Piper immediately thought she loved them. It was exactly why Patricia didn't share her personal life with her twin.

"Eddie?" Ms. Miller beckoned him over, and Eddie obeyed, looking up at Piper. Patricia narrowed her eyes. The way Eddie stood- angled away from her- that had to mean something. Patricia hadn't expected Eddie to look at her and her only, but this was different. It was almost as if he was _ignoring _her, trying not to look at her. Patricia racked her brain for anything she might've done recently to make him behave like this, but she drew a blank. Maybe she had subtly talked about the bet and disobeyed their deal, but Eddie physically looking away from her was a bit extreme.

"Well, Mrs. Williamson and I will be in the kitchen," Eddie's mum said, and the two ladies laughed at something as they made their way into the next room. Patricia rolled her eyes- this was how it always was. What neither mother seemed to realize was that just because the three were the same age, didn't mean they got along.

Patricia glanced over at Piper, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Uh, could you give me a moment?" Piper asked, already hurrying into the kitchen before either Patricia or Eddie could object.

* * *

Eddie was ignoring Patricia.

He had to.

He couldn't look at Patricia- he had spent all of last night trying to forget that he had called her pretty, and then when he had realized the dinner was a fancy occasion, he figured Patricia would be wearing _the_ dress.

And he didn't want to go through the mental turmoil he had gone through last night.

So, if he didn't look at her in that dress, then he wouldn't have to remember that he had thought she was pretty. It was a good plan until Piper decided to go off to the kitchen, leaving the two alone.

Great.

Eddie turned to her, focusing on his feet instead of talking. He didn't know Patricia handled it- awkward silences and such. She was never the one to start a conversation- she just sat there and listened, pitching in when needed but otherwise laying off. Apparently, she did it at lunch too- Eddie hadn't been to lunch a lot because he was eating with his dad, but KT had informed him of her behavior.

And now they were stuck here, Patricia not saying a word and Eddie shying away from her.

This was going to be a fun night.

* * *

Piper giggled slightly as she thought of her plan. Patricia's crush on Eddie was totally obvious, and being the amazing twin sister Piper was, she had quickly concocted a plan to get them together. Patricia had never really mentioned any guys to her, so Piper figured Eddie was probably the first one she had ever liked. And Piper was determined to make their relationship happen- Patricia could deny the truth, but one day, they'd both be thanking her.

"Ms. Miller?" Piper peeked into the kitchen and the lady looked up, beaming.

"Yes?" Eddie's mum asked, and Piper bit her lip shyly. How was she going to explain this, that Patricia had a massive crush on Eddie but was just ignoring her feelings? How was she going to explain that she had taken it upon herself to get those two together? A worried frown crossed her face- she should've thought about this more.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Williamson asked, seeing the concern on her daughter's face. "Piper?"

She had to do this. For Patricia. Piper took a deep breath, "Ms. Miller, do you have any mistletoe?"

* * *

"Does Piper know?" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them and Eddie mentally insulted himself. _Why _would he say that? He should've just stayed quiet- and if he wanted to talk, he should've just mentioned casual things like the weather. Now he was going against the deal and now he was looking towards her for an answer- because he actually was curious for one- and now he was seeing the dress. And just like last night, it still looked nice. Patricia still looked pretty, and he found himself wanting her to go back to loose tops and colored jeans and weird skirts because those were _normal_ and he was used to seeing her in those.

"About what?" Patricia scoffed, but recognition was clear in her eyes.

"About…_you know_," Eddie gestured. He wanted her to talk about that night first- then he would still be abiding the rules of their deal. Patricia knew what he was talking about, but unlike lunch the other day, she didn't feel like talking now.

"No," Patricia muttered, a clipped, short, curt answer. One that brought on another wave of silence. But now Eddie had something to think about: why wouldn't Patricia tell her own twin? Weren't twins supposed to tell each other everything and be best friends? And yes, Patricia did often block herself off from others, but Piper? Her own sister? Did Piper even know anything about what had happened recently?

Probably not.

* * *

Ms. Miller's eyes widened, "_Mistletoe_?"

"For Eddie and Patricia," Piper clarified, and Mrs. Williamson looked up, confused. Last time she had checked, Patricia hated the boy. The few times she had mentioned him had all been complaints, and now Piper was saying she _liked _him?

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Williamson asked nervously. "I didn't realize Patricia felt that way about Eddie."

"Eddie hasn't mentioned her," Ms. Miller nodded in agreement, but Piper simply grinned.

"Yes, but mum, you _know _Patricia. She won't come out and tell us anything. Besides, I'm her _twin_. It's my _job _to know these kind of things." Her eyes darted between the two, her plan already coming together. Unlike Patricia, Piper was actually quite fond of the belief in true love. She did think that sparks would fly between people who loved each other- she had yet to find her own boyfriend, but helping Patricia get one was kind of the same, right? Maybe karma would treat her and soon enough, she'd have someone to kiss too.

"That is true," her mum nodded along, and Ms. Miller donned a sly smirk.

"I _do _have mistletoe," she admitted. "I haven't put it up in _ages _though. I suppose I could today…" Piper beamed, whispering thanks and looking out the room at Patricia and Eddie, who were standing in silence.

Probably because they were too shy to talk to each other.

That had to be it.

* * *

"Piper, where are we going?" Patricia whined. After Piper had come back from the kitchen, Ms. Miller had called Eddie in. Patricia should've been suspicious then and there, but frankly, she was just glad Eddie was gone. Why couldn't he have just stayed quiet? She didn't need to explain her reasoning about why she hadn't told Piper- not to him, not to anybody. And now her sister was edging her towards the kitchen, claiming they needed help with the food.

Piper giggled slightly, "Just trust me." Patricia grumbled under her breath, letting Piper lead her outside the door to the kitchen. She gave her twin a questioning look, but Piper didn't say anything, watching as Ms. Miller steered her son towards Patricia until the two were face to face again. Patricia's face turned emotionless and Eddie looked down at his shoes once more.

"Guys?" Piper chuckled slightly, pointing up above the two. Eddie and Patricia both looked up before exchanging glances, for once thinking the same exact thing as the green leaves hang above them.

No.

Oh no.

Patricia panicked, suddenly realizing what had happened. Piper had _tricked _her, Piper was still under the impression Patricia had a 'crush' on Eddie, and she seemed to have spread her theory to Ms. Miller, who was beaming behind Eddie. Eddie locked eyes with her, looking nervous, not moving at all. If she was anybody else, he wouldn't have minded- a kiss was a kiss, nothing more, nothing less. It didn't mean anything if he didn't want it to.

But Patricia on the other hand- she _couldn't _kiss Eddie. One, she didn't like him- which was enough argument in her mind. But if she did kiss him, she would be giving her _first _kiss away. Yes, nobody had ever kissed her. She hadn't exactly told people she'd never been kissed, so people had just figured she had. By now, she should've been. Besides, a first kiss was supposed to be special- she didn't want to be _wasting _it on Eddie, who had kissed so many girls he'd have to use his toes to count.

"Go ahead," Ms. Miller laughed and Patricia's mum appeared alongside her. Her jaw dropped- her own mother helped plan this? "Kiss!" Eddie bit his lip- it was just a kiss, that was it. He'd kissed many girls before- so what was one ore? He could just _pretend _she was someone else. He leaned closer, closing his eyes and puckering up.

But when nobody's lips touched his, he opened his eyes to see the cheers had died down and all that was left was a familiar redhead heading up the stairs as if she had lived here her whole life.

"Patricia!" Piper called, making her way to the stairs before turning around. She could still save this- maybe kissing had been a little too extreme. Patricia obviously wanted to go slow- talking was slow enough, right? She and Eddie could talk about their feelings and Patricia would realize there was no shame in liking him. "Eddie, would you mind getting her?"

_Yes. I mind very much. Why can't you talk to her? She's your sister. She'll hate me. She'll think I had something to do with this._

But now his mom's stare was boring into him, and Piper's pleading eyes were following his every move.

"Okay. I'll go."


	20. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis. **

Patricia paused, hearing the door creak open. She was in Eddie's room, the air heavy with some strong cologne he wore. This was the only room she knew of upstairs, and right now, she just needed to get away. She didn't care what room she was in- she didn't need to be in any specific room to think. Think about how Piper had completely tricked her, _betrayed _her even. Why couldn't she just back off? It wasn't _Piper's _life, and while some small part of her knew that Piper was just trying to help, Patricia was still angry. Why did her sister insist on interfering all the time?

"Go away, Piper," she muttered, looking down. Patricia wasn't facing the door, but Piper was the only one who would actually come after her.

"Considering it's _my _room, I think I'll stay." Eddie. Patricia clenched her eyes shut, exhaustion outweighing surprise- no, the last person she needed to see right now was him. Every problem could be traced back to him- he himself was the problem.

"Who sent you up here?" Patricia asked quietly- she couldn't tell _him _to get out. It was his room after all- if anything, she was the intruder in this situation.

"Your sister," Eddie shrugged, sitting down next to her comfortably. As if they hadn't almost kissed. As if anything that had happened in the last five minutes had never occurred. As if anything that had happened in the last five _months _had never occurred. How did he do that? Eddie's cool demeanor made it seem as if he was talking to a _friend _or something, and where he sat did too. He was _right _next to her, his legs brushing against hers. Patricia rolled her eyes- _why _couldn't Eddie sit somewhere else? The chair at his desk, the floor, even the other side of the bed- they were all available. He didn't need to be pressed up next to her.

"Figures," Patricia muttered, looking down. A wave of silence passed over them, each consumed in their own thoughts. Eddie wasn't sure _why _he had sat so close- should he scoot away or would that seem offensive? Patricia didn't say anything about their proximity, so he stayed where he was.

"You know…I used to think twins told each other everything," Eddie finally said. He wasn't sure _what _to say- he didn't feel like talking about the mistletoe, even though that was what he was sent up here to do. He had felt a bit offended when Patricia ran away before they were supposed to kiss. Sure, he didn't _like _her but still. He was the _Eddie Miller _and even if he wasn't popular anymore, he still considered himself handsome. Any girl would be lucky to kiss him, and Patricia backing out of the picture had wounded his ego more severely than he would've thought it would.

What really got him curious was the fact that Patricia hadn't told Piper about the bet. Maybe he could force an answer out of her here- it was either keep talking or go downstairs. Somehow, Eddie figured he was the better option for once.

"Well, we don't," Patricia snapped. It was a common opinion that twins were best friends or something, but whoever thought that obviously didn't have a twin. Did Patricia love Piper? Yes. Did she hang out with her and have a good time? Sure. But there was no way she would ever open up to Piper, and tonight was supporting her argument. Patricia hadn't even said anything about Eddie for Piper to jump to conclusions.

Eddie paused, "You should tell her about it, the bet, I mean."

It was a casual suggestion, but a surge of anger ran through Patricia- who was he to tell her what to do, to dictate what she shared with Piper or not? Eddie didn't _control _her; they lived their own lives and could each do what they wanted. Patricia had never said something like that to _him_. "I'm not telling Piper anything!"

Eddie furrowed his eyebrows, a little annoyed. This wasn't just affecting Patricia anymore- it seemed as if Piper had this illusion of getting Patricia and Eddie together. (He wasn't stupid, even he could see it now.) He got a say so if it involved him- which it did. "_Why not_? Can't you see she thinks we like each other?"

Patricia seethed, fueled on the idea of Eddie telling her what to do. She _hated _when people told her what to do. Her voice rose, "I _know _what she thinks! What do you want me to say though? 'Oh yeah, the guy you're trying to set me up with? Yeah, he used me for money and acted like my friend, so no, I do _not _want to go out with him!' Is that what you want me to say, Eddie, huh?" And now they were both standing up, arms folded and glaring. Eddie glared at her- they weren't supposed to talk about this, _she _was the one who had made the deal in the first place and now she was breaking their rules left and right. And _besides_, did she have to put it so _harshly_? Okay, _maybe _he had used her for money, yes, but he had never acted like a friend. Those were his original intentions, but he wasn't lying when he said he liked Sick Puppies or anything they had in common. It was Patricia who had come close to considering him as a friend- he hadn't pushed her into that position and now she was just being ridiculous. Patricia was making her own little pity party- no wonder she was depressed. Why couldn't she just move on and get over it?

"Well, _maybe_, if you had actually told her, she wouldn't have pushed us under a mistletoe!" Eddie reasoned, coming close to yelling too. "And what's up with you, why wouldn't you kiss me?" His ego was taking over, and so was his mind. One kiss was nothing. At all. Neither one would ever feel anything for each other anyways, so maybe if they had just touched lips back there, Piper would've been appeased, and they wouldn't be up here doing this.

"_Why wouldn't I kiss you_?" Patricia repeated what he said, dumbfounded by the fact that Eddie thought she would even consider such a thing. But she had to remind herself that Eddie had kissed tons of girls, and to him, a kiss meant nothing. To her, it would be her first and if she kissed him, it wouldn't be special. "You _idiot_, I don't even like you!"

"You don't have to _like _someone to kiss them," Eddie insisted. It was the stupidest of arguments but it had them both sneering.

"Of course you would think that!" Patricia said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "_Of course _you would think that!"

"I mean, haven't you _ever _played _Spin the Bottle_ at a party or anything like that?" Eddie pointed out, ignoring her last comment, the two slightly calming down. Spin the Bottle was made for the pure fun of kissing someone- there were no feelings involved.

"Oh, yes, because I just get invited to _so _many parties." Sarcasm dripped off her words, and somehow, the attitude made him angrier once more.

"Kissing someone doesn't mean _anything _unless you want it to!" Eddie restated his opinion, but at this point, it wasn't even about that. It was about being _right_, for once not being the one who did the wrong thing and had to apologize.

"Oh, you would think that, wouldn't you?" Patricia said again.

"What is that even supposed to _mean_?"

"You've kissed _dozens _of girls!" Patricia fumed. "What does one more mean to you? You could just add them to your list! But for everyone else, kissing does mean something! Kissing is like, the start of a relationship or something, or showing you like someone!"

"No, it's _not_!" Eddie said exasperatedly. "It doesn't mean _anything_! Like, I could kiss you right now and it wouldn't mean _anything_!" He heard her rattle off some comeback, and he tapped his foot, annoyed. Why couldn't Patricia just listen? This wasn't even a valid topic to fight about and he wasn't sure what had started him. He wasn't even sure where all this anger was coming from- pent up frustration maybe? He looked towards her, his vision turning red. He _needed _to be right for once, he _needed _to win against her for once. And if she wasn't going to hear him out, there would only be one way to prove his point.

"…and if you even think a kiss-"

Patricia was rudely interrupted by Eddie's lips smashing into hers.

**So they finally kissed! (Mainly to prove a point.)**

**Please understand that this whole fight was just a way to blow off steam, and therefore, the two were just stating an opinion. And the only reason Eddie kissed her was to show her that it wouldn't mean anything. Don't get too excited, they're nowhere near dating yet. But...Eddie was her first kiss, whether he knows it or not. I realize this chapter was a bit scattered, but it was to show anger, so I hope I did a good job of keeping them in-character.**


	21. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for all the great reviews last chapter!**

Why had she never kissed anybody before?

Patricia was in pure _bliss_, all worries washed away as her lips connected with his. It felt right, and she felt his arms snake around her waist while hers wrapped around his neck, their bodies pressing against each other until one couldn't even stick paper between them. It was as if everything was being poured into this one kiss- the anger, the frustration, the hurt, all colliding to provide this passion that she felt when she kissed Eddie-

Eddie.

She _kissed _Eddie.

Patricia kissed _Eddie_.

The thought made her jump back, untangling herself from him and wiping her lips furiously.

Her _first kiss_.

Wasted.

Done.

"What the hell?" Patricia shouted at him, still wiping her lips to get rid of the lingering taste. Oh no, _what had she done_? This wasn't supposed to happen- why had he kissed her? _Why _had he kissed her?

Eddie blinked, as if coming to terms with what had just happened. He paused, before regaining his confidence. It was just another kiss. That was it. He had done it to prove his point and if he gave up now, it would've been an invalid effort. "S-see? Nothing?"

Patricia shook in anger- _nothing_? Her _first _kiss and it was just 'nothing'? Was that all she was to him? Yes, they agreed to be acquaintances, but the fact of the matter remained: they would never _just _be acquaintances and the past would always loom over them.

Was it bad that she could still feel him against her in a way, where his strong cologne overpowered her perfume as they collided? Was it wrong she could still feel his fingers against her? Patricia was trying not to think about it as she turned red, "Go!" She pointed towards the door before straightening out her dress and crossing her arms once more.

Needless to say, Eddie was angry. It was _his _room, and who was Patricia to tell him to get out. "_You _go," Eddie insisted. "It's _my _room and it's _my _house!" Patricia opened her mouth to argue, but couldn't find anything to disprove him with. She gave him a withering glare before exiting the room, hoping her dignity was still intact.

* * *

"Patricia?" Piper whispered as her sister came down the stairs. Her mum and Ms. Miller had escaped into the kitchen once more when Patricia and Eddie didn't come down, but Piper's curiosity made her stay behind. She winced, knowing Patricia would be steamed by now. "How'd it go?"

Patricia looked up, her facial expression a cross between angry and betrayed. She stamped her foot indignantly, "_How _could you do that to me?" Piper recoiled at her tone- it hadn't sounded that bad in her head; she had been doing Patricia a favor. Patricia was usually in denial, and Piper was just helping everything move along faster. "Why would you do that to me, Piper?"

"I didn't-" Piper began, feeling terrible under Patricia's gaze. She had only been trying to _help_, honestly, and here she was, trying to hold back tears. She and Patricia had their feuds, sure, but most times, it was over something Patricia said. Because Patricia was the honest one, and the feisty one, while Piper was reserved and composed. She lost her cool however when someone yelled at her- she couldn't stand it when someone yelled at her. Piper was fragile in some ways- her best intentions never turned out right, and this was just another example. She tried to push down the lump in her throat as she faced her twin, "Honestly, Patricia, I didn't mean to."

"I _told _you I didn't like him!" Patricia hissed- she wanted to scream, but she was aware of her surroundings and kept her voice low. "And what do you go and do? You go and meddle in my life."

"Patricia, I _swear_, I didn't mean any harm," Piper promised.

"Well it doesn't matter what you 'meant', does it?"

"Why, what happened?" Piper asked, eyebrows furrowing. She was glad they were at the Millers' house- now Patricia couldn't yell at her because there were two adults right in the other room, and one of them thought she was a quiet one. Besides, Piper's burning curiosity was back.

Patricia gave her sister a pointed look and fought to keep the blush down. Her cheeks turned red at the thought of their kiss, "_None of your business_, Piper." Piper studied her twin carefully- a light blush was coloring her cheeks, and now that she looked closer, Patricia's dress wasn't _as _straight as it had been.

"Did you guys _kiss_?" Piper squealed quietly, giggling. She _knew _her efforts hadn't been wasted, she just knew it.

Patricia studied her twin- how had Piper managed to nail it? How had she known? It didn't matter much, because now her blush was darker and her scowl deeper as she thought of it. "No," Patricia denied, lying through her teeth. "_No_, we didn't." Piper grinned, obviously being able to see through it all.

"Patricia, this is _great_!" Piper enthused, and Patricia let a sigh of annoyance escape her.

"_No!_ Not great! I don't like him, Piper! I never wanted to kiss him!" How had it not gone through yet? How many times would Patricia have to tell her for it to sink in?

Piper narrowed her eyes at Patricia- the girl was notorious for her lies, but this didn't look like one of them. "Okay," Piper stretched the word out, willing to consider possibilities. "Let's say, hypothetically, you actually don't _like _him and you didn't feel _anything _when you kissed-"

"It's not hypothetical!"

"-but why should it matter if you kissed?" The girl raised an eyebrow questioningly and Patricia sighed. "I mean, it's not as if you haven't kissed anybody before." Patricia looked down and itched the back of her neck. She hadn't exactly _told _Piper she had never been kissed- as aforementioned, Patricia really hated talking about personal things. "_Patricia_," Piper whispered, seeing her sister standing stock still. "You've _never _kissed anybody?"

Patricia opened her mouth to say something, to twist the conversation as she usually did. But nothing came out and she felt overcome with embarrassment- she was sixteen, why had she never kissed anybody before? Piper had kissed guys before, so it couldn't have anything to do with looks. And soon enough, she found herself confirming Piper's guess.

"You've _never _kissed anybody," Piper gaped. "What about that one boy- uh, Jason Winkler, from middle school?"

"He was older than me," Patricia hissed. "And we talked twice. Of course we didn't kiss."

"How could you never tell me?" Piper gasped. They were twins, they were obligated to tell each other everything. Piper told Patricia everything, and she had figured her twin was returning the favor. Maybe she was wrong.

"You told her about the bet?"

* * *

Eddie touched his lips as soon as Patricia left- they were still warm from the contact and it made him wince. Okay, admittedly, kissing Patricia had been a bit of a stupid idea- he hadn't expected her to react so harshly though.

The worst part was, he had actually _liked _it. He had _liked _the feeling of their bodies against each other, their lips connected. He had forgotten who he was kissing when he was kissing her. If she hadn't pulled back, Eddie might've even started a make-out session.

He cringed at the thought of having a make-out session with _Patricia_.

Ew. No.

After a few minutes, he finally stood up. Dinner would be ready soon, and as much as he didn't want to see her, he needed to eat. Eating was his stress reliever. Eating made everything better.

In a flash, he was going down the stairs. It was only when he had reached the seventh step did he realize Patricia and Piper was talking at the base of the stairs. Eddie slightly shrugged, tuning in. Maybe they were talking about how the kiss went- depending on whether Patricia had even _told _Piper about it.

"How could you never tell me?" It was Piper who was speaking, and Eddie gaped. Had Patricia actually taken his advice and told her sister about the bet? Did Piper know now?

_Only one way to find out_, he told himself, stepping into the conversation.

"You told her about the bet?"

Patricia's gaze turned to him almost instantly, with wide, frantic eyes and pursed lips. Eddie raised an eyebrow- what did _that _face mean?

"What bet?"

Oh. Eddie looked down- okay, so turns out they _hadn't _been discussing the bet. But if it wasn't that, then what could it be? How many secrets could Patricia have?

"It's nothing," Eddie quickly back-tracked, watching Patricia out of the corner of her eye. She was shaking her head and muttering to herself while Piper was studying him. Eddie bit his lip- Piper was obviously smarter than this.

"No, tell me," Piper insisted, stopping him from leaving.

Eddie glanced at Patricia, "Well, what were you two talking about?"

"Kissing," Piper answered bluntly, and Eddie's eyes widened. Maybe if he had eavesdropped sooner he would've seen how well Patricia thought his kissing skills were. (Not that he cared, of course.) Piper grinned and winked at Patricia, "Turns out you're the best kiss she's ever had."

Eddie smirked- he _knew _it, he knew he was good. Having something embarrassing on Patricia made him feel powerful, and he turned to her, "_Really_?"

Piper began babbling once more, and for a few minutes, Eddie just trained his eyes on Patricia, who was glaring at him furiously. She knew her boundaries though- with Piper around, she couldn't say anything lest she spilled about the bet. He smirked, crossing his arms in a cocky fashion.

"Wait," Piper said, getting back on track. "What do you mean, 'bet'?" The two exchanged glances once more and Piper fumed. "Is this another secret, Patricia? You can trust me, I swear! We're twins!" Patricia seethed at the statement. _We're twins! _Yes, okay, they were born on the same day to the same mother around the same time, but how did that translate to a matter of trust?

"I'm not telling you," Patricia said firmly, and something flared in Piper's gaze.

"I tell you _everything_, Patricia," Piper pleaded. "C'mon, _please_?" The two bickered back and forth and Eddie watched their dynamic curiously before sighing. Even if Patricia didn't think Piper needed to know the truth, some strange part of him told him to tell her. It didn't feel fair for her to be treating him so…_nicely _after what he had done to her twin.

And suddenly, the words were slipping out, "I used her." Patricia and Piper both paused and Eddie stuffed his hands in his pockets and repeated his words. "_I used her_." Saying it out loud made it seem worse.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked, and Eddie swallowed.

"I used her. For money. I took her to a party so that I could make some money." Okay, this hurt to say. It made Eddie appear as some kind of villain, and he hated that. Even Piper recoiled in disgust at his words.

"And she wasted her first kiss on _you_?" Piper spat, obviously caught up in the moment, obviously prepared to defend her sister. A frown crossed over her face before she slapped a hand over her mouth and looked to Patricia. "Oh my god, _Patricia_, I didn't mean to!"

Eddie blinked in shock. Patricia had _never _been kissed before him? He had taken her first kiss? No…he hadn't meant that, not at all. All he had wanted to do was prove his point- if he had known the circumstances he never would've kissed her. "I- I'm your _first _kiss?"

A wave of emotions were crossing Patricia's face- she didn't know how to feel, and she didn't know what to do. She sputtered to say _something_, but the only thing she could really do was confirm his guess once more. "Leave me alone," she muttered, looking down, unable to meet his eyes. "Where's the washroom?" Eddie pointed in the right direction and she began walking, head bowed, not sure what to think.

It all clicked for Eddie the minute she slipped into the washroom, "Wait, we need to talk about this!" Eddie had morals, and even he knew he needed to apologize because this one was entirely his fault. He couldn't blame Jerome or Mick or anyone else because in the end, _he _had been the one to initiate the kiss.

But Patricia had already locked herself in the washroom, using it as some kind of sanctum. She wasn't _actually _going.

Eddie turned to Piper, who still looked horrified for spilling the secret.

"You got a hair pin?"


	22. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis or the Sick Puppies songs mentioned.**

Piper gave him a quizzical look, but Eddie dismissed it, watching her pull the bobby pin out of her hair. He muttered a 'thanks' before jamming it in the lock, feeling Piper's eyes on him. He turned slightly to give her a questioning look, but Piper just crossed her arms and glared at him. Eddie sighed but didn't say anything, hearing the lock click before turning to Piper again.

"Okay, I know you're mad at me. _But _I'm going to fix this whole thing once and for all," he promised. "I don't know how long it'll take, so cover for me, okay?" And before Piper could protest, he had already slipped inside the bathroom.

The bathroom was fairly small but it was a big enough space that Patricia and Eddie could stand with a comfortable distance between them. Patricia was leaning against the wall, eyes closed and arms folded. To be honest, she didn't even look upset anymore. Just kind of angry or torn. She knew Eddie was there, but didn't make a move to acknowledge him. Eddie crossed his arms and leaned against the door, somewhat to prevent her from leaving as well.

"I was your first kiss," he finally blurted out.

"Yeah. You were."

Eddie heaved a sigh, "I didn't know. I mean, if you had told me that-"

"I didn't know you were going to _kiss _me!" Patricia suddenly fumed. Eddie bit his lip, wondering where to go with this. He wanted to fix things, but at the same time, he absolutely _hated _when he was always pinpointed as the bad guy in the situation. Patricia had kissed back- he wasn't all to blame.

Patricia had kissed back.

His eyes widened at the thought, remembering Joy's words of wisdom. Back when he was still popular, he used to watch Amber and Joy give love advice to begging freshmen. The two were in some kind of matchmaking business- one of the things that actually benefited people at the school. (The girls weren't _all _bad.) And when Joy had been asked how to tell if someone was right for you, she had a simple reply:

_They kiss back_.

Eddie tried not to panic- a million girls had kissed him back, and they were never right for him. Amber had kissed back, and that relationship hadn't worked out.

But if Patricia really didn't like him, then why did _she _kiss back? Eddie shook his head- she was just caught up in the moment, like him. It didn't mean anything.

"If it helps, my first kiss stunk too," Eddie shrugged, deciding not to fight back. He had come here to apologize, not start something else. "I was thirteen," he smiled fondly at the memory, looking up at Patricia, who actually looked curious. "The girl that kissed me only kissed me on a dare." Patricia gave him a skeptical smile. "So, I know how it feels. To have your first kiss taken away like that. And I'm sorry."

Patricia nodded, casting him a look before saying 'okay.' What could she say now? Eddie basically had the same first kiss experience as she had, so she couldn't exactly play any card. And the boy had been on a guilt trip too many times.

"You know, I really am sorry," Eddie repeated, looking sincere. "For…everything." Patricia raised an eyebrow and found herself taking a deep breath.

She couldn't do this anymore, couldn't stand here and be casual acquaintances. And honestly? Some part of her was telling her to move on from it- it was the stubborn side that was telling her to hold a grudge. Holding grudges was what she did, it's what she'd always done.

But it'd been _months_.

And karma had come around to Eddie, who had been kicked out of the popular group and had his father secret revealed to the whole school.

Maybe she could finally let it go.

Maybe.

Just maybe.

"I…forgive you," Patricia finally said, hesitantly closing her eyes and awaiting his reaction.

Eddie sputtered out his reply, "S-seriously?" Patricia opened her eyes again and nodded, feeling awkward. This was good, right? She was forgiving somebody. And besides, if anybody had wronged her, it was more her middle school peers than Eddie. She was taking something from the past and pushing it onto everybody else. "That's great. I, uh, didn't think you'd ever forgive me," Eddie joked. A silence fell over the two.

Eddie began speaking again, talking about the only solid thing they had in common. For some odd reason, he didn't _want _to go back outside. Maybe it was because he was afraid of what Piper would do to him. "So, Sick Puppies, huh?" He shoved his hands deep inside his pockets, unsure of how to talk to Patricia now. What were they? Still acquaintances? Friends? "You, uh, heard their new album?"

"Well, duh," Patricia scoffed. The two fell into that silence again, and Eddie wracked his brain for something to say.

"Are we friends or what?" He resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall for blurting that out- _why_? Why had he asked her that? Everything was so complicated though, and he needed a straightforward answer.

Patricia bit her lip, wondering the same thing. _Were _they friends? She tried hard to keep the stammer out of her voice, "I-I guess."

Eddie gave her a relieved smile, and Patricia took a minute to marvel at her improved social skills. She had just forgiven someone that had just stolen her first kiss and then befriended him. Wow. Eddie mumbled, "Cool, cool."

Patricia looked towards the door he was leaning against, "Are we going back out?" Truthfully, she really didn't want to face Piper again, and the weary look on Eddie's face said the same thing.

"If you want to," Eddie shrugged, but he looked uneasy at the thought and Patricia shook her head. She would rather be stuck in the bathroom with Eddie than be outside talking to Piper, who would make her explain and relive a situation she had just gotten over and done with.

"No," Patricia slumped down to sit against the wall once she realized Eddie had sat down against the door. Eddie nodded in agreement, twiddling his thumbs for a while before looking up.

"So, _friend_," Eddie bit his lip. He had to get a conversation going- he was never one to be able to sit in silence like this for long. "Uh, what's your favorite book?"

Patricia looked up in the surprise at the question but nevertheless wracked her brain for an answer. Come to think of it, she didn't really _read _unless it was required for school, and even then it was skimming at best. "Don't know."

"Mine's _Harry Potter_," Eddie muttered, looking down. "Although I like the third one better than the others." Patricia raised an eyebrow- she had _not _seen that one coming. _Eddie _liking Harry Potter? _Fabian _liked Harry Potter. _Mara _liked Harry Potter. And now Eddie did too? It was kind of nerdy in a way.

"Let me guess," Patricia snorted, finding herself talking before she could stop herself. "You're one of those Americans whose only reference to the UK is Harry Potter?" And it filled her with something great to talk to him like this. Joke around like she had before. It still felt awkward, but if she just tried to ignore the fact that it was Eddie she was talking to, then it was fine.

Eddie outright laughed and Patricia felt relieved he wasn't offended. He seemed pretty laid back though. "At first," he admitted. "I called the school 'Hogwarts' for such a long time." Eddie was definitely a bit reluctant to share this information with her, but Patricia was just watching him curiously. He wasn't sure if she was judging him, as she wasn't voicing her opinion.

"Okay, my turn," Patricia bit her lip, trying to think of a question. "Favorite movie?"

Eddie gave her a pointed look, "All the Harry Potter movies, obviously."

"You can't have _eight _favorite movies," Patricia protested, holding back an uncharacteristic laugh. Nothing he had said was even _that _funny, but there was something about his Harry Potter addiction that made her want to chuckle.

"Can too," Eddie defended himself childishly. "Why, what's your favorite movie?"

"Nightmare on Elm Street," Patricia shrugged before looking up with a teasing smile. "To be honest, you kind of remind me of Freddie Krueger."

Eddie placed a hand over his heart and gaped at her, "Well, I'm _hurt_, Patricia." The two fell into silence again once they realized what had just happened- were they…_teasing _each other?

"I mean, your name even resembles his," Patricia mumbled before she could bite back the comment. "Eddie, Freddie. Kind of the same thing." Eddie snorted at the comparison but didn't say anything.

Patricia bit her lip and glanced at the door again, "Won't our parents get suspicious or something?"

Eddie shook his head, "I told Piper to cover for us." Patricia nodded, although she wasn't sure that Piper was the best choice. Her twin had covered for Patricia on many occasions, once spewing something about hedgehogs to their mother.

"So…" Patricia began. "…what now?"

"Um," Eddie looked up. What should they do now, sitting in cramped quarters, both not wanting to face Piper? Their question game had dropped quickly and the two were beyond bored. Eddie's eyes lit up as he dug his hand in his pocket, taking out his phone and a set of earplugs. "Listen to music?" He offered her one of the buds to stick in her ear, and Patricia bit her lip. If she wanted to listen with him, she'd have to be extremely close to him. Eddie seemed to notice this and scratched the back of the neck, "You don't have to, I mean. But I _do _have the acoustic version of _Odd One_."

Patricia sighed- she absolutely _loved _the acoustic version. She hesitantly scooted over so that the two were seated next to each other, sides touching once more. She grabbed the bud from his hand and placed it in her ear as Eddie did the same with his. The familiar tune of _Odd One _filled her head, mellow and soft with the guitar.

It was frightening to be in such close proximity with Eddie- they kept landing in these kind of situations. His hand was almost on top of Patricia's, and she felt conflicted. It was almost as if she…_wanted _their hands to be touching. She closed her eyes to rid herself of the thought, blaming it on the kiss. That undeniably great kiss.

"_Odd One, you're never alone..."_

And as she looked over to Eddie, she realized something.

Maybe- just maybe- she really wasn't alone this time.

And that made her smile.

**So, Patricia finally forgave him and now they're kind of friends. I tried to include some of the aspects from the show while keeping them in-character. I'd like to know how I did, considering I wanted to make sure there was enough development before they reached this milestone in their ongoing relationship.**

**And there actually ****_is _****a Sick Puppies album coming out tomorrow, and I believe it's called ****_Connect_****.**


	23. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Patricia found herself _smiling _as she left Eddie's house after dinner. Things had gone a lot better than she initially thought they would- after all the drama of the night, Eddie and she had stayed in the bathroom and listened to their favorite Sick Puppies songs. When they got called out to dinner, Piper was already seated in between the mothers, which prevented her from whispering questions. Patricia had mostly kept her head down unless she was asked something, and even then, it was a short, clipped answer. Eddie was the same.

But now Patricia was back in her bedroom, trying her best to fake that she was asleep so that Piper wouldn't confront her.

"Patricia, I know you're awake."

Shoot.

"Why didn't you tell me? We- we're sisters! And I _know _you're mad about me telling Eddie that he was your first kiss, but you guys seemed fine afterwards! And I get it now! Why you never liked Eddie…I _get it now_!" Piper paused, looking hurt and softening her tone. She wasn't angry, just upset. "We could've talked about it. You know I would've listened."

Patricia rolled her eyes and turned around so that she was facing Piper, "Okay, I didn't tell you. Maybe I should've. Maybe you would've been a good listener. But there are just some things…that we need to keep to ourselves, you know? It was _my _problem and I dealt with it."

"…how? What did Eddie say to you in the washroom?" Piper raised an eyebrow, slightly calming down. At least everything was all better now.

Patricia took a deep breath, reliving the moment, "I uh, I forgave him."

Piper's jaw dropped and she stared at her sister, unblinking. She rubbed her eyes, "Y-you _forgave _someone?" But there was a teasing smile playing on her lips, and she looked almost proud as she sat at the edge of Patricia's bed. Patricia gently whacked her shoulder, but she was happy too. Happy that they could do this once more- no tension in between them, just sisterly bonding.

"Yes," Patricia confirmed, rolling her eyes again. "_But_," she warned, seeing the glint in Piper's eyes. "This does not mean I like him like _that_." Piper nodded.

"I suppose it was kind of mean of me to push you under that mistletoe."

"And I thought _I _was the bad one," Patricia joked, and Piper pushed her away, giggling before leaving to her own bed.

That night, Patricia fell asleep with a little smile lighting her features. She had made a new friend and reconciled with Piper- it was like a burden being lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

Eddie grinned, thinking about everything that had just happened. _Finally_. He was forgiven- he wouldn't have to follow Patricia just thinking about how many ways he could say sorry. No more awkward silences because they were 'casual acquaintances' with a long, uncomfortable, history. They were _friends_, and though it was a bit weird being so open to the other, Eddie liked it. They hadn't done much in the bathroom, just listened to Sick Puppies songs over and over again, occasionally making commentary about the lyrics or instruments. He had to admit- Patricia wasn't joking when she had said Sick Puppies was her favorite band. She seemed to know every song that came up. It was kind of refreshing actually, to talk to someone who liked them. No one else really _appreciated _his music the way he and Patricia did.

Eddie looked out his window- it was okay _now_, because they were friends, and if they occasionally wanted to look into each other's rooms, they could. Eddie winced- that sounded less creepy in his head.

Patricia had already fallen asleep, it seemed- the room was dark but there was moonlight hitting her face. Her features stood out, and she looked almost innocent asleep. Untroubled. Eddie grinned softly at the image- he wanted to see that face more often. The Patricia he knew was almost always glaring and scowling at everybody, but when she slept, that all washed away. As if…her force field went down.

And it was that night that Eddie made up his mind: he was going to make it his _mission _to see that look more often on Patricia. He was going to make it his mission to see that face during the day.

He was going to be the one to lower her force field once and for all.

…because that's what friends do, right?

* * *

December 23rd.

Eddie scowled- today he was going to his father's house. They had all finally worked out an arrangement: he would spend today and tomorrow and half of the 25th at his dad's house, and the rest back at his mother's. He was still kind of holding a grudge against his father for hitting the intercom button that day in the office. Eddie _knew _it wasn't on purpose, but _still_. It was enough to make him a bit more resentful.

But he also didn't feel like talking to his mother: she had tried to push him under the mistletoe with _Patricia_. His own mother, believing Piper over him! It was betrayal! After the Williamsons had gone home, he had told his mom that he didn't like Patricia, not even mentioning that the girl was now his friend. He didn't want her to jump to _any _conclusions, and maybe he had put her under the impression that he and Patricia were enemies.

But Eddie softened as he thought about his mother- what would she do for the next couple days? The holidays weren't a time to spend alone, and he felt bad leaving her. Maybe she and Mrs. Williamson could do something. Eddie bit his lip as he zipped up his suitcase and went downstairs- he'd just have to ask, right?

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, mom?" he asked cautiously, placing his bag by the door. He wasn't due at Eric's house until after lunch, and he had just woken up.

Ms. Miller looked up from a magazine, distracted, "What?"

"Being alone for the next couple days," Eddie clarified. "Are you going to be okay?"

Ms. Miller laughed at her son's concern, closing her magazine and washing away his worry. "I'll be _fine_, Eddie. I'll have David anyways."

Eddie sighed in relief, "Good, that's- wait, who's David?" The name was unfamiliar, but he was pretty sure he knew exactly who 'David' was. A new boyfriend, maybe? His mother joined a lot of internet dating websites, so Eddie was used to having several unknown men pop up in conversations.

But this was different. His mother was inviting this guy over for the holidays, and as much as Eddie didn't want to think it, that was kind of serious. As far as he knew, none of her mother's boyfriends had ever even been brought home to meet him, and now she was spending the _holidays _with him? Exactly who was this guy?

Eddie mentally groaned- when had the tables turned? When had _he _been the one confronting his mom about her _boyfriends_? When had she become the teenager and he the parent?

"David," Ms. Miller said slowly. "Remember, I've talked about him a couple times. I went on a date with him that night I sent you to the Williamsons."

Eddie's eyes widened- that night was _months _ago! "You've been dating this long?" Usually, he never worried about his mom marrying because she and her boyfriend only stayed together a month at the most. But this was obviously a longer relationship, and he wasn't so sure how he was reacting. What if the guy popped the question or something? Holidays _were _a perfect time to do those kind of things.

"Yeah," Ms. Miller nodded, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you knew?"

"A-are you guys…going to," Eddie gulped. "Get married or something?" He searched his mother's eyes for a denial, because _no_, he did not _want _a second father. He did not _want _someone in _his _house acting like he was there all along. He did not want some _replacement_.

But to his surprise, his mother blushed, "Not yet. I mean, he hasn't-"

"Not _yet_?" Eddie fumed. "Wait, so you were just going to wait until this guy proposed and then tell me?"

"I was actually going to have you meet him the day after Christmas," Ms. Miller said, oblivious to her son's anger. Eddie was seething- he was her _son_, didn't he get some say so? When was his mother even going to tell him about this guy? They made it a point to not talk about love lives, but if it was something _this _serious, to the contemplation of marriage, Eddie thought he deserved to know. Ms. Miller saw his reaction, "Eddie, we're not getting married. But…we _have _talked about it."

"So what, you're just going to _replace _my father?" Eddie asked, turning red. "Is that it, mom?" She opened her mouth to speak but he didn't give her a chance, grabbing his luggage and opening the door. He was leaving early and he was going to get there on his own- he didn't _need _to be stuck in a car with her.

But as soon as he got outside, Eddie realized his choices are terribly limited. He couldn't take his mom's car because there would be no way to bring it back from his dad's house. Besides, he was making a point- he didn't need her, and it would be controversial if he took her car. Eddie wasn't sure where to go now- usually, he sat on the porch when he was upset, but his mom would probably come out soon enough.

He needed to go somewhere she wouldn't expect.

Such as…a supposed enemy's house.

* * *

Patricia waited for somebody to open the door, but when nobody did, she went and opened it herself. It was probably somebody trying to sell something- those people always made her angry and she didn't feel like having her good mood wrecked.

But to her surprise, it was Eddie.

"Hey," he smiled at her, looking breathless. Patricia looked down- was that a suitcase? "Could I stay here for like, twenty minutes?"

"Um…" Patricia raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused. But what could she do- tell him to go away? Besides, they were friends now. "Sure, come in." He gave her a grateful smile and rolled his suitcase in.

Patricia raised an eyebrow, following him to the couch, "Were you, uh, planning on going somewhere?"

"My dad's- Mr. Sweet, I mean," Eddie shrugged, looking all too comfortable in her house. Patricia nodded slightly, looking down. She wasn't sure what to say, but Eddie seemed to know. He was quick to start a conversation. It was only a minute after that he quietly said it. "You…you ever feel like you're coming second?"

_All the time_, Patricia thought, but on the outside, she looked up, acting confused. Of course she knew. With Piper as a sister, how could she not?

"My…my mom…she was talking about," he paused, looking down, as if this was hard to say. Patricia needed to do _something_, so she placed a hesitant hand on his back in comfort and slightly smiled in encouragement. He looked up in surprise, and Patricia retracted her hand quickly. That obviously wasn't the right thing to do. But Eddie shocked her by taking her hand in his own again, and squeezing it hard, closing his eyes tightly. "Getting married again."

_Oh_.

What was she supposed to say- Patricia wasn't good at comforting people!

But Eddie was still talking, "And it's like this new boyfriend of hers is like…you know- ugh, I don't know how to say this." His grip on her hand loosened.

And Patricia found herself talking too, "Is like taking your place in your mum's life?" Eddie looked up, and it was clear that was what he meant. He felt as if he wasn't as important anymore- his mom hadn't even _consulted _him about all this. Eddie understood that it was her life, but still. He was a part of that, and while David hadn't popped the question, it would've been nice to know that they were talking about this kind of stuff.

"Yeah," he nodded, connecting the dots. "You and Piper…"

"Yeah," Patricia looked down slightly, and Eddie gave her hand a squeeze. Patricia looked over to where their two hands were connected, and then up at Eddie, who sheepishly let go.

She didn't know why she frowned at the loss of contact.


	24. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

Eddie looked over at Patricia, who was twiddling her thumbs. She looked awkward and he frowned- it wasn't supposed to be awkward, he was supposed to be getting her force field down. How could he do that if they couldn't even talk to each other?

"We can, you know, talk about you and Piper if you-" Eddie started. He had basically ranted his feelings, so now would be a good time to talk about her life, right? And if she did talk, that would mean one step closer to bringing down her force field. It might help him get his mind off things, though he severely doubted she would say anything about the topic. Patricia didn't seem to trust easily.

And of course, her sharp answer cut through his question, "_No_." Patricia glared at him and Eddie put his hands up in mock surrender. Her look softened, but Patricia didn't make any move to start a conversation. Was he supposed to start something? How could he just switch topics after a discussion like that? Luckily, someone broke the silence.

"Hey, Patricia, was someone at the- oh. Eddie." Piper's eyes narrowed as she walked into the room. Eddie gave her a small wave and her eyes drifted from him, to his suitcase, and back at Patricia. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, almost as if she was wondering whether to say hello or tell him to beat it. But Patricia had said it was okay, so Piper gave him a quick smile, "Hi." The word was short and tight and Eddie returned it in a light tone. Piper gestured towards the suitcase, "Are you…staying over or something?"

"No," Eddie said, but didn't elaborate. Piper seemed practical and if he told her what was going on, she'd probably tell his mom somehow. Besides, if he was right and Patricia was the one always coming in second, Piper wouldn't get it. Nothing against the girl, but Patricia was probably the one who would truly _understand_. Eddie looked at Patricia, who was eyeing Piper a tad enviously in light of the previous conversation. Her feelings of being second best had returned.

But at the same time, Patricia felt kind of _warmed_- Eddie hadn't explained to Piper what he meant. When he had been feeling down, he had talked to _her_. He had confided in _Patricia_ when he probably had a million other people to look for comfort in.

And that…for someone who _never _seemed good enough…that meant something. She wasn't sure what, but it meant _something_.

"Does mum know he's here?" Piper asked her, and Patricia shrugged. Their mother wouldn't mind, right?

"He's our next door neighbor," Patricia rolled her eyes, remembering how eager her mother would be that Patricia was making friends. "Mum won't care."

Eddie gave a nervous smile and decided to crack a joke to lighten the mood. He wanted these people to like him- now that Patricia was over the bet, Piper seemed to be holding a grudge. Winning over this family was near impossible, but he was trying, "Don't worry, I'm not going to murder you." He said to Piper in a mock assuring tone, grinning. Piper looked a little amused but rolled her eyes anyway, quickly leaving. Eddie looked over to Patricia, who had given a quiet snort and was smiling at the joke, probably thinking of _Freddy Krueger _once more. Eddie found himself beaming too- he had made Patricia smile, the same tiny smile that he had seen last night when she was sleeping. She looked a lot prettier when she smiled- happier, full of life.

"Why don't you smile more often?" he muttered, thinking Patricia wouldn't hear him. But when she looked up and raised an eyebrow, it was clear she knew what Eddie had said.

"_What_?" she asked, but she seemed more curious than offended. Eddie thought of playing it off as if he hadn't said anything, but dismissed the idea once he looked Patricia in the eye. It seemed she wasn't about to let this go.

"Why," Eddie started, "don't you smile more often?" He was hesitant as he said it, awaiting some sort of reaction. Patricia looked confused at the question and he elaborated slightly, "I mean, like…you…look…_nicer _when you smile. Not that you don't look nice when you're _not _smiling, if that makes sense…" his point was hard to make when he was trying so hard not to offend her. Patricia opened her mouth to answer, but look conflicted as to what to say. What _was _one to say to that? It didn't _look _like Eddie was insulting her or anything, but sometimes, she could never tell. It almost looked as if he had called her pretty in the subtlest way possible.

"I don't know," Eddie continued. "And sometimes…it feels like you're…two different people."

"Two different people?" Patricia echoed stupidly, not understanding what he meant.

"Yeah, like, most times you're really quiet and you don't talk about anything, and then when you get angry or anything…you kind of explode," Eddie scratched the back of his neck meekly. "So? Which one are you?"

"I- I guess I'm…" Patricia started, amazed at how dead on he was. She was constantly flitting between two different personalities, but wasn't everyone? Sure, she had become more open since coming to this school, but she couldn't let go of so many years of staying under the radar so quickly. "I don't know which one I am."

Eddie nodded, unsatisfied by the answer, mind returning to his mom and her boyfriend once the conversation finished. He frowned a little bit- they weren't engaged, so he shouldn't even be suspecting anything, but they were _talking _about it, right? Which meant Eddie might be having a new father soon.

Father.

"Uh, I'm going to call my dad to come pick me up," Eddie said, gesturing to his phone as he got up and dialed the number. How would Eric feel about his ex-wife's potential fiancé? Eddie wouldn't mention it yet.

The call ended fairly quickly, Eddie mentioning he was at the neighbor's house and Eric agreeing to come by early to pick him up. He turned back to Patricia, trying to push back the thoughts about his mother, putting his phone on vibrate once he realized she was calling. But Patricia seemed to have noticed that he was still upset, and cautiously got up. She couldn't _believe _she was about to do this- but whenever Piper came to her for comfort, words were never enough, so she usually wrapped her in a hug. It would be different with Eddie though, because Eddie was…_Eddie_, and was she overstepping certain boundaries if she comforted like this?

"You know," Patricia started, meeting his eyes. "Your mum _does _love you. She _does _care about you." Patricia stated, because there was some part of her that _needed _to make him feel better. That's what friends did, and she and Eddie were friends now. It was with that knowledge that she propelled herself forward.

"I know, I just-" Eddie was cut off as Patricia eyed him hesitantly, wrapping her arms around him. He almost stumbled in surprise- _Patricia _was hugging him. _What_? He cautiously embraced her as well, inhaling her perfume as she began stroking his back. He caressed her hair slightly- was he doing this right? Amber and he had never really _hugged_, it was mostly snogging and things like that.

Wait. Why was he comparing Amber to Patricia?

Patricia and he…they _weren't _in a romantic relationship like he and Amber had been.

"Thank you," Eddie suddenly whispered into her hair, holding her tighter. He needed this, he actually needed this, _someone _showing that they actually cared about him. He felt Patricia nod, and he whispered in her ear.

"Your mom loves you too," he said quietly, feeling like he owed her that. And it was surprising how honest he was being when he said, "You…you're not second best, Patricia." There was a moment of silence and Eddie held his breath, wondering how she would react. Neither seemed particularly trained in situations like these, and Eddie was wondering if he was handling it well. This was hard to do, having to pick out the right words to say. Because sometimes, even the toughest people were fragile, and for Eddie and Patricia, this was somewhat their moment.

And then, with a crack in her voice that made Patricia sound _so _broken, she buried her face in his shoulder as she spoke, the soft material of his shirt pressing against her.

"Thank you. Thank you_ so_ much."


	25. Chapter 25

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

"Patricia! Wait up!" She froze, hearing Eddie's voice. It was the first day back to school after the break, and she was walking. Apparently, he was too.

Needless to say, she was a little embarrassed that she had broken down on his shoulder a week ago. When they had heard the doorbell ring that day, they had separated and bid each other an awkward goodbye, and she hadn't heard from him since then. Eddie hadn't gotten into contact with her so she figured they were just trying to forget the hug ever happened- as much as she had loved being told she wasn't second best, that had been an emotional moment. And Patricia tried not to get emotions show when they didn't need to, which was why she was so embarrassed. Because she had let _too _many emotions show. Because Eddie had brought those emotions out.

Patricia turned, waiting for him to catch up. She was pleased to see that he was smiling- good, that meant his time with Mr. Sweet had gone well.

Eddie walked alongside her, "So, what'd you do the rest of the break?"

Patricia shrugged, "Nothing much." And it was true, she hadn't really done anything. Besides, she was much more interested in how Eddie's week with Mr. Sweet had gone- she didn't bring it up, not wanting to pry, but she _was _curious.

"I had a good time with my dad," Eddie offered awkwardly. "And my mom and I…we worked things out too. I'm probably going to meet her boyfriend soon."

Patricia nodded, "That's good, right?"

"I guess," Eddie shrugged. "Who knows, maybe I'll actually like the guy."

"Maybe," Patricia echoed, not sure what to say, and Eddie quickly changed the subject, not wanting this to be weird between them. He had talked about his family issues for long enough now.

"It was a good vacation over all," Eddie finally concluded, and Patricia raised an eyebrow, wondering whether to correct him.

"_Vacation_? It's a _holiday_."

"Um, I'm pretty sure it's a vacation."

"No, it's a _holiday_."

"_Vacation!_"

"_Holiday!_"

* * *

Amber grinned, stepping out of her car, Joy right beside her. It was the first day back from the holidays, and she was actually excited to be back at school. She hadn't done much over the break- her dad was busy so she had mostly spent time with Joy.

"Do I look okay?" she asked her friend worriedly, looking down at her dress. Joy nodded slightly, and Amber began to fix her hair when she spotted…Patricia and Eddie?

Patricia and Eddie.

Walking to school.

_Together._

Laughing, chatting. Amber felt something burn in her as she watched the two. Why were they walking together? From their behavior before break, they didn't seem to have any desire to interact with each other. Amber felt a little hurt- sure, she had broken up with Eddie, but he _wasn't _supposed to go and find someone else to date, especially not _Patricia Williamson_.

She frowned- was Patricia better than her? No, that couldn't be, she was _Amber Millington_, queen of Frobisher High and every guy's dream. Amber sighed, calming down- maybe they weren't even dating. Maybe they were just friends.

Joy seemed to be thinking the same thing, "I don't think they're dating."

Amber scoffed, showing no sign of her previous doubts. "Of course not. They can't be. In fact, let's ask."

Joy's eyes widened, "Amber, are you crazy? We can't just _ask_!"

"Sure we can," Amber shrugged, applying lip gloss before strutting over to the school door, where she blocked Patricia and Eddie from going inside. Joy shook her head but followed obediently, and Amber raised an eyebrow at the two in question.

"Uh, hi," Eddie waved slightly, looking uncomfortable. Patricia didn't even give a greeting, opting to glare at Amber and Joy.

"Sweetie Jr.," Amber dismissed, using Jerome's word, and turning to Patricia suspiciously. She could vaguely see Eddie pulling a face- did he _honestly _think everyone would just _forget _about him being Sweet's son? "So, you two are a couple. Interesting, I never thought you were each other's type but as they say, love is blind." She surveyed Patricia distastefully, taking in the girl's clothes. "_Really _blind." Patricia rolled her eyes at the statement and crossed her arms, leaving Eddie to tell Amber she was wrong.

"We are _not _dating," Eddie protested, not that angry. He could see why it would _look _like they were dating- Patricia and he were standing a little too close to each other and laughing a little too much. But they were just getting to know each other, get on the pathway of being _real _friends and not what they'd done at the beginning of the school year.

"You just look a little closer, that's all," Joy shrugged nonchalantly, and Eddie and Patricia inched away from each other at the accusations. "I'm just-"

"Can we please go inside?" Patricia rolled her eyes, interrupting Joy. "It's freezing out here." The two popular girls seemed to realize that as soon as she said it, and Joy swung open the school door and let herself in, Amber following with a mutter of 'if you're so cold, why don't you just cuddle my ex-boyfriend? He might keep you warm.' Patricia fought back a blush as she heard it, and hastily rushed inside, going to her locker without waving a goodbye to Eddie. He frowned, but dismissed it, going over to Fabian to ask him what he did over the holidays.

* * *

Amber just _had _to ask a guy, "Do you think Eddie and that freak like each other?" They were at lunch, sitting across from Mick and Jerome, who both looked up and over at the loser table. Patricia and Eddie _were _sitting next to each other, but other than that, it didn't seem like anything was going on.

"No," Jerome drawled, eyes sparkling as he looked at Amber. "Why, are you jealous?"

"Of course not," Amber scoffed, squinting her eyes so she could see Eddie better. "But don't you think they're sitting a _little _too close to each other?"

Mick shrugged, "Why should we care what they do? The kid's Mr. Sweet's son- he and the freak would probably get along well." Now that Eddie had dropped school statuses, everyone seemed to have forgotten who he really was. Amber sighed slightly.

Jerome smirked, "And so I repeat, Amber, _are you jealous_?"

"No," Amber said, lying through her teeth. "Why would I be jealous of _her_? I mean, look at me, and then look at her. Look at my house, and then look at hers. There is nothing to be jealous of."

"Yes there is," Mick interjected, being oblivious. "She has Eddie and you don't."

* * *

It definitely came to a shock to everyone at their table that they were talking, but nobody mentioned it- they all acted as if it was ordinary. Eddie had started a conversation with Patricia about the teachers they hated while everyone else talked amongst themselves. It was nice having someone to talk to…usually, it was Nina and Fabian, then Willow and Alfie, then Mara and KT. And now it was Eddie and Patricia too. And it's not as if anyone outside their little group would even think about talking to Eddie- unless it was teasing him.

"What are you talking about?" Patricia scoffed, picking at her food. Something about being with Eddie brought out her bolder side- not _too _bold, but definitely feistier than she gave everyone else at school. He was just _easy _to talk to, and after their hug, something in the air had changed between them. Maybe they weren't _best friends _or anything, but…to some degree, they did understand each other. And sometimes, that was enough for Patricia to open up a little bit. Because Eddie would get it, because Eddie had kind of opened up to her. "Ms. Andrews is _way _worse than Ms. Valentine!"

"Nuh-uh," Eddie remarked childishly. "Ms. Valentine gives us a lot of homework- hey, you going to eat that?" He pointed down at Patricia's sandwich, and she wrinkled her nose and passed it to him. Eddie grinned and muttered a 'thanks' as he devoured the sandwich.

"You know, I can make way better sandwiches than these," Eddie remarked, chewing thoughtfully. "Like, hoagies. Hoagies are _great_."

"Never heard of them."

Eddie faked a gasp, appalled. In his mind, it was a _crime _to never have tasted a hoagie. He swallowed before snapping his fingers in her direction, "That's it, you have to try one."

Patricia looked up and blinked, "Um, what?"

"_Try one_," Eddie persisted. "I could make you one after school," he shrugged, finishing off the sandwich. "Just come to my house." Eddie knew for a fact that his mom would be gone today- off with David, no doubt. Eddie also knew he had promised his mom to not judge the man before meeting him, but he couldn't help it.

Technically, Eddie wasn't supposed to have guests over when his mother wasn't home, but honestly, he didn't think Patricia would be a problem. And she'd never be suspected of coming over either, because Ms. Miller still thought he and Patricia didn't get along or something like that.

Patricia bit her lip- _just come over to my house_? What did _that _mean? Obviously, he had just invited her, and she was probably over thinking it, but _still_. She had never been…_invited _to someone's house like this, and she wasn't sure how to react. But they _had_ just become friends and some part of her liked his company.

"C'mon," Eddie pleaded slightly, lowering his voice. "I owe you. You let me rant about my family that day."

Patricia tensed at the mention, remembering the hug, remembering what he had said to her.

_You're not second best, Patricia_.

That had made her day- _somebody _telling her that just _because_. Somebody who could read her insecurities so easily and wash them away the same way. For the rest of the day, Patricia had been happier than usual because of his words. Eddie…somewhere along the way, his opinion had begun mattering. Maybe even before they became friends, it had mattered. So him telling her that…it had made her feel good. If anything, she owed _him_.

But on the outside, she shrugged, trying to keep her cool. "Um, sure," she mumbled, and Eddie grinned widely. His grin made Patricia smile- she felt _wanted_ in a way. Somebody actually _wanted _her to come to their house just so that they could do nothing but eat.

"Now, back to the most important topic," Eddie said playfully. The way he saw it, if he was easy and laid back with Patricia, she might open up and lower her force field sooner. And plus, whenever he cracked a joke, she laughed a bit. He didn't know whether it was out of pity or because they had the same sense of humor, but whatever it was, he was taking it. "Ms. Valentine is _obviously _a lot worse…"

* * *

Patricia felt a little awkward in Eddie's house once she realized his mother wasn't home. She knew he wouldn't try to _pull _anything on her, but it still made her a little uncomfortable being alone with him. She didn't know him that well, but just in case she needed someone, her mum was right next door.

Currently, she was seated at Eddie's dining room table, one hand tapping on the surface and another one holding onto her phone tightly. She had never been in a boy's house alone with the guy, and it was frightening her.

"Voila," Eddie placed a plate down in front of her, which had a sandwich on it. The sandwich was heavily overstuffed, and Patricia looked cautiously just to touch it. Eddie sat down next to her and a small part of her wondered why he didn't sit across from her, but she ignored it. Ever so hesitantly, Patricia picked up the 'hoagie' and took a tender bite.

And then she took another bite.

And another bite.

And then another.

"I take it that you like it?" Patricia looked up, suddenly remembering where she was and wiping some sauce from her face with her napkin. Wow. Her dining room etiquette was terrible- barge into a guy's house and eat what he made her in the messiest way possible?

Eddie just smirked though, taking a bit of his own. "Knew you would like it," he practically sang, and Patricia calmed down once she realized he didn't really care how she ate it. Nevertheless, she still became extra self-conscious.

"Hey Patricia?" Eddie almost laughed as he looked at her cheek- there was some sauce still on it. He used his finger to wipe it away, but that finger already had sauce on it. So, really, all Eddie had done was put _more _sauce of Patricia's cheek.

She reached up to feel her face and gasped, "You did that on purpose!"

Eddie retracted slightly- it's a weird side of Patricia he was witnessing, a playful kind of anger. And before he can say anything, she was tracing a sauce covered finger on his face too. He was momentarily shocked, thinking she wouldn't _dare _do something so bold, but he quickly covered it up with a smirk.

"Oh, it's _on_."


	26. Chapter 26

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

The food was flying- marinara sauce from the hoagies getting streaked across each other's' faces, the spaghetti getting tossed about. Eventually, Eddie moved to his kitchen and grabbed some more ammunition, cracking an egg on her head while laughing, fully caught up in the food fight. Patricia gasped before going in for retaliation, grabbing a pitcher of water and soaking him with it. She laughed freely and it was a certain kind of contagious, and Eddie beamed before flinging some jelly at her so that the red of the marinara sauce and the purple of the jelly mixed on her face. Patricia did some quick thinking and squirted ketchup at him, staining his soaked white shirt. He advanced on her, grinning- it'd been a while since he had a good food fight, a good way to release it all. Patricia looked for an escape but there was a counter to her left and a stove to her right and the wall behind her, and Eddie was blocking the only other option as he cornered her, an almost manic look in his eye.

"Got you," he laughed, cracking a final egg over her head and watching her close her eyes in defeat. Eddie laughed- when he had initially invited Patricia over, he had _no _clue it would be this fun. He hadn't even expected her to retaliate in the first place.

She retaliated.

That _had _to mean something- was she lowering her force field?

Meanwhile, Patricia laughed too, and both of them just stared at each other, smiling. It was a good feeling, being this close to Eddie-

Oh no.

_Why _was she _this _close to Eddie?

Patricia bowed her head and he raised an eyebrow- was something wrong? He thought they were having fun, thought he was lowering her force field. What had made her get all shy again? Eddie looked down at her curiously and he realized _just _how close they actually were.

_Oh._

If he moved one tinier step closer, they'd be touching. And then if he bent his head down just a little bit, they'd be kissing.

Eddie shook his head and stepped back- _why_ was he thinking about _kissing _Patricia? He backed away even more and Patricia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She scratched the back of her neck and Eddie bit his lip, "We, uh, kind of, um, need to clean this up." Patricia nodded, too embarrassed to speak, and looked down, already wiping up some sauce that had landed on the counter. She couldn't bring herself to look at Eddie for two reasons- one, she had been _so close _to him and that made her uncomfortable. Two, Eddie's white shirt was soaked with water, and it was just now that she had realized…he had abs.

It made her blush furiously, but Eddie didn't seem to see the problem. Maybe he didn't notice? Or maybe he _did _but didn't think she would mind?

"Sorry about the eggs," Eddie muttered, cleaning up some dropped eggshells. Patricia shook her head- they were having a food fight, that's what you were _supposed _to do. "I went a little overboard."

"It's fine," she said quietly, combing an eggshell out of her hair. "Sorry about the water."

"It's fine," Eddie mimicked. "And besides, I can change into other clothes. You can't…you could…um, you know, wear one of my shirts because of, you know," he motioned to her top, which was now splattered with egg yolk. Her pants were clean, but Patricia gulped. The idea of wearing Eddie's shirt wasn't something that appealed to her- wearing a guy's shirt meant something _intimate_ and she couldn't even think of that without feeling even more uncomfortable.

"No, I'm fine," Patricia insisted, intent on not looking at him. Eddie opened his mouth to speak.

"Patricia," he sighed. "C'mon. It's the least I could do." He was trying _really _hard to be a gentleman, because he did feel like he was at fault somewhat. But she wasn't responding to his attempts and it made him frustrated. He shook his head and wiped up some jelly. Soon enough, the two had everything cleaned up but themselves, and Eddie ran a hand through his hair.

"Seriously," he started again. "Just wear one of my shirts." He honestly did feel bad, and it wasn't making it better that Patricia wasn't even looking at him anymore. And _right _when he thought they were getting on the right track.

"I can just go home, honestly."

"Uh-huh," Eddie crossed his arms. "And what are you going to say to your mom when she asks why you have eggs all over you?" Patricia sighed, knowing Eddie was right. Her mum definitely wasn't going to take it well that her daughter was covered in eggs and marinara sauce.

Eddie must've taken her silence as a confirmation, and he grinned. "Great, let me go get a t-shirt for you." And before she could object, he was already going up the stairs. Patricia sighed, burying her face in her hands. Somehow, whenever she was around Eddie, something always screwed it up. She did _want _to be friends with him, because he did seem pretty cool and he was probably the only guy she could talk Sick Puppies with, but whenever they were together, something always happened that changed their whole dynamic once more.

* * *

"It's going to be big on you," Eddie muttered, throwing her the t-shirt a while later, now dried off and changed into different clothes. "You know where the bathroom is, right?" Patricia nodded wordlessly before hurrying off in the right direction and shutting the door behind her.

It was a Tri-Polar t-shirt- she had one similar to this. But hers was tighter and obviously smaller…but _still_, maybe Piper and her mum wouldn't even realize she wasn't wearing her own clothes? She could tuck it in or something and there wouldn't even be a problem.

She peeled her t-shirt off and placed his on herself, feeling weird. She was _wearing Eddie Miller's _shirt. Patricia shuddered slightly, his t-shirt was soft and worn in and it even _smelled _like him (she had gotten too many strong whiffs of his cologne from the times they had stood too close) and she didn't want that. It felt awkward and odd to have his shirt on, but she just shook her head and balled up her own shirt before stepping outside. This didn't _mean _anything.

"I can put that in our laundry and I'll get it back to you," Eddie promised, grabbing her stained shirt from her hands and throwing it in a bin. He turned around to face her again, "I...don't want things to be weird between us."

_Weren't they already_? Patricia thought, but she just nodded. "It's not…we're _friends_, yeah?"

But they weren't 'friends.' Not really. They weren't casual acquaintances. They were people, two people who had made the mistake of meeting each other. Two people who were finding similarities where there were once differences. Two people who were now trying to class themselves but failing miserably.

Honestly, Patricia and Eddie didn't know what they were. They weren't enemies and they weren't acquaintances and they weren't really friends. And the only option left…

But they weren't a couple either- as if _that _would ever happen.

"Yeah," Eddie agreed, looking her over slightly. Maybe it was because she was wearing his shirt, but Patricia had some kind of appeal suddenly. He shook the feeling away- it _had _to be because she was wearing his shirt, that had to be it.

_His shirt_. He had never loaned a girl his shirt like this…not even Amber (mostly because she thought his shirts were ugly.) But Patricia looked so _small _and _vulnerable _and so unlike herself that he almost…softened? Yes, he softened. Eddie gave her a small smile and changed the topic, "So, first hoagie?" He lightly nudged her and wiggled his eyebrows playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "What'd you think?"

Patricia grinned, grateful for the change of topic, "It was…good."

"That's _it_?" Eddie frowned. "_Just _good?"

"Fine, it was _great_," Patricia shrugged, and Eddie laughed, checking his watch. His mom would be home soon and Patricia seemed to realize that too.

"I should be going," she jerked a thumb to the door and headed towards it, Eddie following and watching her step outside.

"This…" Eddie started, not sure where he was going. He decided to go with the truth, "…was fun." And it was true- up until the moment they realized they were standing too close, he was actually enjoying himself. Food fights were always great.

"Yeah," Patricia said after a moment, looking wistful. "It was." She backed away, muttering a 'bye' before stuffing her hands in her pockets. Eddie gave one last wave before closing the door and letting out a long breath.

He wasn't even sure what to think anymore.


	27. Chapter 27

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**This will be my last Thursday update, guys! I'm just going to be updating Mondays from now on!**

Amber narrowed her eyes as she spotted Patricia walking away from Eddie's house. She had been taking a walk around the neighborhood so that she could get a break from her dad, and she had saw Patricia leaving _her _ex-boyfriend's house. Something _had _to be going on!

Patricia was almost to her house when Amber noticed it: that wasn't _her _shirt. It was much too big to be her shirt, and even if Patricia did often keep her clothes loose, never _that _loose. It had to be…Eddie's.

They didn't.

They _couldn't _have.

Amber quickly snapped a picture of her with her phone before striding over confidently. Inside, she was tearing herself up. _No_! Patricia Williamson was _not _better than her- Amber was queen of this place, and she needed to set the law down. Besides, what kind of girl goes after another girl's ex-boyfriend? It was rude!

"Hey, Patricia," Amber greeted coolly, and the other girl looked up in surprise at being called by her actual name. "So…you were in Eddie's house, huh?"

"It's not what you think," Patricia scowled, trying to push past. Amber shrugged, trying to remain cool.

"But you want it to be, don't you?" she asked, eyes gleaming, waiting for the confirmation. Patricia raised an eyebrow and Amber rolled her eyes, flipping her hair back. "The shirt. It's not yours."

"I wasn't aware you memorized my wardrobe," Patricia said, crossing her arms defensively and trying to stay calm. Amber was getting on her nerves, but she wasn't sure how to get out of this situation. If she _didn't _say anything, then she'd be confirming Amber's suspicions. But if she did, she'd probably mess everything up more.

"I don't," Amber said sharply, looking disgusted. "But that shirt's awfully big on you and it smells almost _exactly _like Eddie's cologne."

"It's not like that," Patricia assured desperately. Amber was the Queen Bee of the school and basically everybody listened to her. If she wanted to, she could ruin Patricia's life just by spreading rumors. It hadn't happened yet because there wasn't much to spread rumors about, but then again, they hadn't interacted much in the past few months. Maybe some minor teasing here or there, but for the most part, Amber left her alone.

"Look," Amber sighed tiredly. "I _love _him. We're just taking a little break now, but soon enough, he will be completing my checklist. And soon enough, he's going to be with me again."

"Eddie and I are _not _dating, okay? If you want to, go ask him out. I couldn't care less."

Amber rolled her eyes, "Amber Millington does not go to guys. Guys come to Amber Millington."

Patricia shook her head and finally pushed past Amber- she didn't have time to deal with this. Actually, no, she had the time. She just didn't feel like talking to her anymore. "Whatever," she muttered, stuffing her hands in her pockets and taking out her house key. She jabbed it in the lock and opened the door, looking forward to just curling up in bed with her headphones.

Instead, she was met with her mother and Piper. Her mother was quick to envelope her in a hug, "Where were you?"

Patricia sighed- right, she had forgotten to tell her mother where she was going. Since the night with Eddie at the party, Mrs. Williamson had definitely gotten a lot more over-protective.

"I was next door," Patricia scratched her neck and watched as her mother let out a relaxed breath.

"You should've at least called," Mrs. Williamson reprimanded before pausing. "You were next door? Patricia, I thought you didn't like that boy."

"I don't," Patricia assured, not needing her mother to play matchmaker for her. "Not in _that _way. We're friends, mum." Mrs. Williamson nodded, looking a little suspicious but letting it go. Patricia wasn't one to usually be social, so when she did make friends, her mother generally didn't have a problem.

"Patricia?" Piper asked quietly once their mother left the room. "That shirt…"

"It's not mine," Patricia finished, closing her eyes. She hadn't thought it would be that obvious. She bit her lip, "Eddie invited me over for a hoagie."

"A what?"

"Boy sandwich," Patricia quickly dismissed. "And then we _might've _gotten into a food fight…and then my shirt _might've _gotten really dirty so he _might've _offered to loan me his."

Piper immediately softened, ever the romantic, "_Patricia! _That's so cute!"

"No, it's not!" she snapped, crossing her arms. She didn't want to think of this as something romantic, but with Amber and now Piper, that was getting hard. "Piper, we're _just _friends." Patricia braced herself for some whining from her twin or some comments about how 'close' they were, but that didn't come. Piper looked almost sympathetic.

"I know," she said. "And besides, I've been thinking about it, and I don't know. Are you _absolutely _sure he's not being friends with you just because of another bet? I wouldn't get too close."

Patricia faltered slightly, considering it. Yes, Eddie _could _be going through with another bet, and even though she wanted to trust that he wasn't, it was possible. She severely doubted it, but that didn't mean he wasn't just using her all over again.

But who would he even make the bet with? Nobody in their little group at school seemed like the kind to do that, and the popular people didn't even look at him anymore, except Amber. Patricia desperately wanted to believe it: that she had found a friend that invited her over to their house and who she could be herself around. She wanted to believe it so badly that she pushed Piper's words out of her head and scoffed, "He wouldn't do that again."

Piper shrugged, and Patricia shook her head. Eddie _wouldn't _do that again. He was sorry.

Right?

* * *

Eddie ran a hand through his hair- he was so conflicted. There was obviously something drawing him to Patricia and he had accepted that a while ago, but he didn't exactly know what it was. And he didn't know where they stood- they tossed the word friend around but that wasn't really it. Friends _didn't _think about how close they were, or how pretty the other looked on certain occasions, or how much they would have to lean down so that they could kiss. Eddie had tried pushing the feelings away for a while now, but even he knew it was time for confrontation.

"Okay, so you think she's pretty," Eddie murmured to himself, talking out loud to sort everything out. "So what? You think a lot of people are pretty."

"So you thought about kissing her today," he said in the same tone. "That…" he sighed. "That's not friend behavior." He buried his face in his hands- he couldn't like Patricia. And he didn't really- he didn't know enough about her to actually like her like that. But there was that string that seemed to be pulling them back to each other- when the school year first started, Eddie had never imagined it would be like this.

And then there was the other fact, the fact that he wanted to lower her force field. Even Eddie knew that he was just a _little _too determined to do so. He had created a mental list in his head of how he could get it to go down. But was it bad that he wanted her to smile more often? Was it bad that he wanted her to open up more because he was genuinely _interested_?

Eddie exhaled before looking out his window to Patricia's room, where she was listening to music, still huddled up in his t-shirt.

Wait.

_Why _was she still in his t-shirt? Now that she was back home, she could've changed if she wanted to, which she probably did, to rid herself of the memory.

But no.

He didn't know if she had stayed in his t-shirt unknowingly, but seeing the fabric sag on her made him smile. Eddie didn't even know why- something about seeing her with his shirt on made him happy.

A frown fell on his face- friends didn't think _that _either.

Eddie needed help with this, it was all too hard. He wasn't good with feelings, but he _did _know a guy who was.

And just like he had ages ago, he scrolled through his contacts and clicked on _Fabian Rutter_.

He was taking relationship advice from the resident nerd _again_ in a way.

His life was pathetic.


	28. Chapter 28

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for all your reviews.**

"_Eddie_?" There was a tinge of surprise in Fabian's voice, but Eddie couldn't really blame him. Even now that they were friends again, they weren't the type to call each other up. They used to be, way back when, but that was probably a once in a lifetime thing and nothing would ever be the same between them. But this was an urgent matter, and Eddie had taken the chance.

"Hi, Fabian," Eddie said nervously, rethinking this whole idea. "How are you?"

"I-I'm fine," Fabian stuttered out, and Eddie rolled his eyes. "H-how are you?"

"Uh," Eddie started. "I'm okay too."

"Good," Fabian said from the other end, and Eddie drummed his fingers on his bed sheets. How was he supposed to lead into this kind of conversation? The two remained in silence for a bit, and Eddie had almost begun to think Fabian had hung up when the other boy finally said, "Eddie? Um, as much as I appreciate you calling, was there a particular reason?"

"There has to be a reason?" Eddie laughed anxiously- Fabian was always smart.

"Nowadays, yes," Fabian answered, and Eddie winced. When had Fabian gotten so blunt? Must've been an effect of hanging out with KT and Patricia so much. "I mean, the last time we talked privately was…Eddie…is this girl troubles? I don't think I'm right for this, I mean-"

"You have a girlfriend, don't you?" Eddie asked.

Fabian sighed and paused, "_Fine_."

"Okay, so there's this girl," Eddie started, glancing over at Patricia through his window before turning away. "And, we're _friends_, but I-"

"Want to be more than that?" Fabian offered gently. "That's how Nina and I were."

"No, I don't want to be more than friends," Eddie said stubbornly. He was somewhat _repelled _by the fact he could even think of Patricia in that way. "But I don't want to be _just _friends either, you know?"

"…not really," Fabian frowned. "Is she your crush?"

"No, nothing like that," Eddie clarified. His feelings weren't that strong to the point where he would consider it a crush. "I just- I mean- I-"

"Do I know this girl?" Fabian asked, sounding as if he was putting a puzzle together. Eddie gulped- he hadn't wanted to reveal Patricia's identity, but Fabian seemed like he had a suspicion rising. Nobody else even hung out with Eddie anymore except the people in their little group.

"Yeah," Eddie clenched his eyes shut, not elaborating, and bit his lip harder.

"Is it KT?" Fabian asked, and Eddie shook his head before realizing Fabian couldn't see him.

"No."

"Mara?" Fabian tested, though it sounded as if he couldn't picture the two together. Eddie was a little reckless and Mara was more reserved.

"No."

"_Willow_?" Fabian shuddered at the thought- he liked Willow, really, but sometimes she was a little kooky and it unsettled him that she believed in unproven myths.

Eddie paused- there were only two girls left in the group, "No."

"I-Is it _Nina_?"

"No!" Eddie practically shouted right before hearing Fabian's relieved sigh. He wouldn't go to Fabian for relationship advice about his own girlfriend- not that he even liked Nina like that.

"But that only leaves…Eddie, _no_."

Eddie closed his eyes, biting his lip even harder so that he could taste the blood. He didn't say anything, didn't know what to say. He fisted the bed sheets again and then drug a hand through his hair.

"_Eddie_, please tell me you do not like Patricia like that."

"I don't," Eddie insisted. He didn't like Patricia like _that_- it was just…he felt some kind of attraction towards her, that was all.

"Are you forgetting what you did?" Fabian hissed quietly. "Eddie, you _can't_…you said you were friends…"

"We _are _friends!" Eddie muttered, looking over to Patricia again. She was _still _in his shirt and it was driving him crazy.

"You _used _her, you can't possibly expect her to-"

"I said sorry!" Eddie's voice quivered- he hated being reminded of what he had done. People made mistakes and the important thing was that he had repented, right? Patricia had forgiven him, why couldn't Fabian?

Fabian let out a long breath, "So you…have a crush on Patricia?"

"No."

"But you want to be more than friends. Eddie, it sounds as if you're confused about your own feelings."

"I guess," Eddie exhaled, looking out his window once more. Good, she had changed back into a t-shirt of her own. His was lying on the edge of her bed, and though she seemed immersed in her music, Patricia seemed to sense someone's eyes on her and looked up questioningly. They locked eyes and Eddie bit back a groan. Now he just looked creepy.

"Do you even know her that well, Eddie?" Fabian's voice sounded hesitant. "Maybe you're just-"

"Her favorite band is Sick Puppies," Eddie started, breaking away from Patricia's gaze. "She has a sister named Piper. She likes Nightmare on Elm Street." He paused, unsure of what to say next. Anyone could list out facts like this- but he felt as if he actually _knew _Patricia, as if he knew what she was thinking. Ever since that hug, he had felt some sort of bond with her, some sort of familiarity. He didn't want to tell Fabian all the deep emotional things though, but with just three facts, Fabian wouldn't think of it as anything.

"Get to know her," Fabian suggested after a while. "_Really _know her. She has to trust you. Know things about her without her telling you."

"What does that even mean?" Eddie's nose wrinkled in confusion and Fabian bit his lip.

"Well, when I'm with Nina, it's like I can almost read her mind or something. She doesn't need to tell me how she feels because I just know," Fabian stayed quiet for a minute and Eddie let that sink in. "N-not that I'm the best with this kind of s-stuff." Eddie nodded, muttering a goodbye and hanging up.

_Know things about her without her telling you_.

* * *

Patricia hesitated, glancing at Eddie, who, for lack of a better word, looked distressed. She frowned- she had seen him on the phone but she didn't know who with and she was curious. She shouldn't interfere though- if he wanted to tell her, he would. Besides, she was still trying to get over what had happened earlier. And, even if she didn't want to admit it, Piper had planted a seed of doubt in her. What if…what if this _was _all for another bet? What if there was another catch? She shouldn't trust him- next thing she knew, he would be complimenting her and bringing her to another party and breaking the news to her again.

But Eddie seemed sincere. He had given her his shirt when-

His shirt.

Patricia looked over to the edge of her bed, where the shirt mockingly lay. She had almost forgotten she was wearing it, but when she did remember, she had rushed to change out of it and into one of her shirts. It almost disgusted her that she had forgotten, but she got over it quickly enough.

She locked eyes with Eddie again, who held up his index finger before bringing out his whiteboard. He stuck his tongue out in concentration as he scribbled something down. He held it up for her to see.

_That was Fabian_.

Patricia nodded, not really wanting to start a conversation but feeling obligated now. She reached for her paper pad and frowned, not sure what to write. She decided to go with the honest thing:

_Did he upset you_?

Eddie raised an eyebrow and shook his head, writing something down.

_No, why would you think that?_

Patricia shrugged, contemplating whether to confront him. Eddie watched her expectantly and she sighed, writing it down.

_You look upset_.

Eddie gave her a small grin, looking wistful.

_I'm not upset. What are you up to?_

Patricia rolled her eyes:

_Nothing much._

* * *

Eddie wasn't sure what exactly possessed him to ask it, why he even needed to know. But he asked it anyway, writing the words down and holding up the whiteboard before he could even think about it:

_Remember last time we did this?_

No. No, no, no. He did not mean to say that. Her eyes narrowed and some invisible barrier went up between them. But she didn't back out of the conversation, because that would mean giving in.

_I remember_.

Eddie gulped.

_You know I'm sorry, right?_

Patricia stiffened.

_I know_.

Eddie gripped his marker.

_So you'd say we're friends, right_?

Patricia's eyes narrowed.

_That's what we agreed on_.

Eddie held his whiteboard with sweaty hands, Fabian's words ringing in his ears- 'she has to trust you.'

_So do you trust me_?

Patricia's eyes widened and her pencil dropped from her hands in surprise. Of all things, she probably wasn't expecting that. Eddie watched her eagerly, but the look gracing her face meant something. The way she paused for so long meant something.

He hadn't expected her to trust him, but it still hurt. More than he had thought it would actually. Whatever hope he had diminished as she shook her head the slightest and slid her curtain closed, the sea of awkwardness returning.

She hadn't written her answer down.

She hadn't needed to.

They both knew she didn't trust him, both knew that the only word running through her head at the moment was:

_No_.


	29. Chapter 29

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis, or ****_Odd One _****by Sick Puppies.**

**Thank you for helping me reach 300 reviews! It's so great to hear your feedback on Patricia and Eddie's development, since I'm constantly worried I'm going too fast or too slow.**

Patricia picked at her food that day. She wasn't hungry at all, still overwhelmed by yesterday. She had seen the look on Eddie's face when she had hesitated- he looked like a kicked puppy and she couldn't stand knowing that she had caused that.

But on the other hand, what did he think was going to happen? They had known each other for about six months tops and most of those they had spent together because of a bet or because they needed to. It was only recently that they started hanging out voluntarily, and after everything that had happened, Patricia wasn't sure if she could trust him. Maybe Piper _was _right, maybe this all was another bet. Maybe it was a mistake trying to get close with someone.

"Hey," Eddie's voice sounded quietly and Patricia's eyes flitted towards him. _Of course _he had to sit next to her- there was no other option. Although there weren't assigned seats at the lunch table, everyone had their own designated spot and Eddie was the last to arrive. He kept talking, "Look, about last night-"

"I don't trust easily." The words escaped her lips before she could stop them and Patricia visibly cringed at how harsh she sounded. But at least she was still talking to him, she was making an effort. She didn't know _why _considering usually, she would be avoiding him after something like this.

"I figured," Eddie chuckled nervously. "I shouldn't have asked that anyway." Patricia nodded beside him in agreement, looking down at her food once more.

"I want to trust you," Patricia stated once more, softer now. She hadn't meant for the words to escape but she had gotten so used to blurting out things that it didn't even affect her anymore.

"So trust me," he said, using the same tone as her, making sure nobody else was watching. Patricia could feel his gaze on her, and she sighed.

"I…I can't."

"Why not?" He sounded more concerned than anything else, and Patricia clenched her eyes shut and dug her fork into her food. _Why _was Eddie so worried about her, what was that even supposed to mean? She stayed quiet for a minute until she felt Eddie's finger prod her shoulder. "Patricia?"

Patricia's voice remained low as she revealed her fear, "This might be another bet." No one seemed to be listening or even looking at them, which was good, considering this was the most vulnerable she had ever seemed at school.

"…you honestly think I would do that again?" Patricia looked up, and there was that kicked puppy look again. Eddie looked beyond hurt and Patricia wasn't sure whether she should be annoyed at his stupid question or feel bad for him.

She opted to shrug, voice bitter as she said: "You did it once, didn't you?"

Eddie paused, considering the truth in the sentence, "Okay, yes, I did. But I thought we were, you know, over that?"

"I just can't get over something like that so quickly," Patricia admitted. "And _besides_, I don't know you at all." When was the point that she started saying _everything _she thought? "You…you don't know me at all."

"So tell me," Eddie shrugged, trying to lighten the mood but still show he was serious. His eyes twinkled, "Tell me all about the great Patricia Williamson. Tell me all your deepest secrets and your darkest fears." He laughed at the look on her face. "Too much?" Patricia nodded.

Eddie nudged her, "But seriously, Patricia, you seem like a really cool person. And you _can _trust me…I mean, I trust you." And it was true. After she had kind of comforted him during break, he did trust her. It was like she knew how it felt, like she was on his side. He didn't need to know her favorite food or favorite color to know that he liked her as a person. Maybe it was a bit quick, but there was just _something _about her that drew him closer. That made him want to know her in every single way. That made him want her to trust him.

"Okay," Patricia sighed. "So maybe I can…learn to trust you?" She looked up with hesitant eyes and Eddie nodded eagerly- it was a step. Patricia gave a weak, guarded, smile and Eddie took pity on her, changing the subject.

"So, Sick Puppies…"

* * *

Amber glanced over at the loser table, seeing Patricia and Eddie sitting awfully close to each other. She stabbed at her salad and Joy looked up, giving an exasperated sigh.

"Amber, if you still like Eddie, why don't you just ask him out?"

Amber gasped, "Joy, Amber Millington does not ask out guys-"

"Guys ask out Amber Millington, yes, we know," Jerome interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Amber, _you _dumped _him_," Joy pointed out, and Amber scowled.

"Just ask him out again," Mick shrugged, biting into a banana. "Honestly, girls make everything so complicated." Jerome nodded beside him.

"But he doesn't like me anymore," Amber whispered quietly, seeing Eddie smile at Patricia. She turned back to Joy, willing herself not to cry. It didn't take a genius to tell that that Eddie had moved on, with _Patricia _of all people. The way he looked her…he had looked at Amber like that at one point, when they had first started dating. Now? Now, everything was lost.

"Amber?" Joy asked.

"I just…" Amber sighed, trying to collect her thoughts. "I want a guy that will treasure me, you know?"

"Amber, we all want that," Joy smiled. She liked this side of Amber, the vulnerable side. It made her look like a real human being.

"He needs to be really nice," Amber nodded, beginning to think about it, listing it off on her fingers. "He needs to be good looking obviously, needs to make me laugh-"

"Make you laugh?" Jerome butted in, once again, and Amber gave him an annoyed glance.

"Yes, Jerome, make me laugh. I'm sorry, but you don't fit my qualifications-"

Jerome laughed, "Oh, Millington, _I _don't want to date you. But I _do _know someone who fits your 'qualifications' as you put it. Well, okay, he's not the best looking, but-"

"Who is it?" Amber raised an eyebrow and Jerome tilted his head towards the loser table. Amber's smile fell.

"Is this about Eddie? Jerome, I _told _you-"

"Alfie," Jerome's voice came out raspier than he intended as he remembered his old friend. "Alfie Lewis."

"The class clown?" Amber wrinkled her nose.

"You did say you wanted somebody to make you laugh," Mick cut in.

"But he's not popular!"

"Eddie isn't either now," Joy cut in, and Amber glared at her. She hated it when somebody proved her wrong, as everyone usually did.

"_Shut up_, Joy."

* * *

"Are we walking home together?" Eddie asked, running up to Patricia's locker breathlessly, his bag swung over his shoulder. Patricia dumped one last textbook into her bag before slamming her locker shut.

"Sure," she nodded, and Eddie grinned, mockingly opening the front door so that she could leave.

"Ladies first," he gestured, and Patricia bit back a smile as she thought about that night, seemingly ages ago, when she had gone over to his house for the first time.

"I'm _not _a lady," she teased- wait, since when did that happen- and punched his shoulder. Eddie laughed it off but she was pleased to see he mouthed 'ow' soon after, and slightly laughed. Her mouth set in a frown when she saw Amber glaring at her, and she sent her the same look as the blonde made her way to her car.

"She doesn't get to you?" Eddie observed, raising an eyebrow as Amber sped away. Patricia shrugged.

"Not really," she said. "There are worse people." Eddie looked as if he wanted to ask a question, but decided against it. He stayed quiet, the two walking in comfortable silence until he finally burst.

"So, you don't care about what she says? _At all_?"

Patricia paused, eyeing him skeptically, "Like I said, there are worst things to say than insults on my clothes or something. Besides, I'm not really-"

"-concerned with acceptance?"

_Odd One. _The Sick Puppies song that she had fallen in love with, that she had related to. Had he really just referenced that, implied _she _was the odd one? The entire song centered on the fact that the odd one was never alone…what was he saying? That he was on her side? Patricia pushed the thought out- she was probably overthinking it. But she said the next line, just to see what would happen.

"We are all desperately seeking out," Patricia said, trying to wind it into their normal conversation. Eddie smiled as she understood his reference.

"And fitting in with anyone-"

"-who will accept us," Patricia finished, a tad breathless as she stopped in front of her house. Eddie paused and gave her a light smile, awkwardly punching her shoulder. He lowered his voice:

"But not you, odd one."

And maybe _that _was the first time Patricia had- however subconsciously- considered Eddie a tiny bit more than a friend, as she watched him run away back into his house.


	30. Chapter 30

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**You guys are so amazing, thank you so much. I love hearing your feedback! This fanfic will go all the way up to the end of the school year in this story. Considering it's mid January in the fic right now and I'll do a time skip at one point, I'd say this story has six-eight chapters left.**

**GUYS WE'RE ALMOST DONE**

**Enjoy the next chapter!**

Amber sighed before picking up her mobile. Her finger lingered over Eddie's contact number, remembering what Joy had said. Since Eddie was over her, shouldn't she be over him? There was no way she could ever move on without some kind of closure- hell, she had gotten _Joy _to tell Eddie that they were breaking up, she hadn't even said it herself.

She waited as one ring went by, then two, then three. She was about to hang up when…

"_Hello_? Amber?"

"Eddie!" she laughed nervously. "_Hi_!"

"Yeah, hi," Eddie said awkwardly. "…is there a reason you called?"

"Yes," Amber assured, looking down at her nails. "Okay, Eddie, I _know _that our breakup was hard, but we both need to move on." She had figured out a way to not humiliate herself- pretend that Eddie was the one with the problem of moving on and not her. That always worked.

"Uh, Amber, I don't exactly-"

"I know what you're thinking," she cut him short. "'_How can I ever move on after dating Amber Millington_?' But it's for the best, really, Eddie."

"Yeah, but I don't have feelings for you anymore-"

"Oh, denial," Amber sighed. "The point is…I'm _fine _if you date Patricia. I couldn't care less, really. You have my approval." It shocked her a bit, how at ease she said this. "And besides, I've moved on as well." It was a small lie, but in a couple weeks, it would probably be true. Now that she had a chance to talk to Eddie, it provided her a way to close things up for them. Their relationship was one of those that worked for a short while but wouldn't be worth the long term commitment. Once she wrapped things up, she could finally move on. Maybe to Alfie, even, who she had watched shamefully. It bugged her that she was even thinking about him, but ever since Jerome brought him up, she couldn't forget.

"Well, that's great-"

"And he's a lot hotter than _you_," Amber informed. "So, thanks for calling, Eddie, but I think we're better off as friends, okay?"

"_You _called _me-_"

"Bye!"

* * *

"…and then she made it sound like _I _had called _her_," Eddie furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at Patricia, as if demanding an explanation towards Amber's behavior. Patricia simply shrugged. "What does this even mean? That she's going to stop asking me if I'm dating you?" Eddie ran a hand through his hair before nudging Patricia. "Wait, y_ou're _a girl!"

"Wow, I was wondering when you'd notice," Patricia rolled her eyes and Eddie cracked a smile. Slowly but surely, she seemed to be breaking out of her shell. Today she seemed extra snappy, but he didn't mind. She was a lot more sarcastic and it was funny.

"No, I just mean, like, do you know what Amber meant?"

Patricia paused before answering, "Not really."

Eddie sighed, "Haven't you ever been in a relationship before?"

"_You _were my first kiss," Patricia pointed out, glaring at him. "_Remember_?" Eddie chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "If it helps though, you're a pretty good kisser." He said it under his breath in a tone he figured was barely audible, but Patricia apparently heard _something_. Her head shot up.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing," Eddie faked.

"I _heard _you say something," she persisted, feeling angrier than she usually would. Why did she care what he had said? Why was he all she had begrudgingly thought about last night? It made her mad, really, that she had even considered liking him as more as a friend, and maybe her temper had carried over to this moment.

"It was probably the wind," Eddie assured her, but Patricia simply stopped walking and stepped closer to him, jabbing a finger to his chest in an all too familiar way.

"The wind doesn't talk," she reasoned. "_What _did you say?"

"Why do you care?" Eddie threw his hands up, getting frustrated, for a minute simply loving that he was taller. It made him feel more powerful in a way.

"I don't know why I care!" Patricia admitted loudly. "Just _tell me _what you said!"

"I said you're a good kisser, okay?" Eddie's eyes filled with rage as he admitted it out of pure adrenaline. "_You're a good kisser, Patricia! _There, happy?"

"That kiss meant _nothing_, you said so yourself," Patricia said, voice low and shaky. She felt like she was being played all over again, like she was caught in the middle of some joke she didn't know about. She absolutely hated feeling like that, being in the dark.

"Kisses don't just mean 'nothing'!"

"Funny, your opinion's changed," Patricia remarked harshly. "You know what, whatever. Just leave me alone, will you?" She tried to push past him but Eddie caught her by the shoulder.

"You kissed me back, okay?" Eddie asked, expression hard. "_You kissed me back_. You could've pulled away and you didn't, so stop blaming me for everything!"

Patricia opened her mouth but quickly closed it, not sure what to say. Eddie was right- she had kissed back. Eddie seemed almost smug when he realized she was speechless, "What, nothing to say? Maybe because I'm _right_? Admit it, that kiss meant something to you."

"That kiss didn't mean anything," Patricia spat out once more. "Okay, so it was my first kiss, whatever, who cares?"

"Why do you keep pushing me away?" Eddie asked, frustration lacing his voice. "Do you know how _hard _I'm trying right now to be just friends with you?"

Patricia paused, a pit in her stomach. She shook her head, "I _knew _it. This _is _just another bet, isn't it? Who put you up to it, huh? Or did you-"

"It's not another bet!" Eddie exclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulders. He knew her well enough to know that if she wasn't close to winning an argument, she simply left. He felt like _screaming_, he was so confused. He wasn't sure where they stood or how he felt about her or how she felt about _him_ and the call from Amber had gotten him thinking about if he and Patricia would potentially date.

"So what are you trying to tell me, that I'm so _unlikable-_"

"I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT I THINK I LIKE YOU AS MORE THAN A FRIEND," Eddie finally blurted out, shouting so loud he hoped his voice wouldn't go hoarse. Some passerby turned to look at the two but he didn't really notice, too consumed in pure anger. Angry that he had told her, angry that he didn't quite understand what he felt, angry that she didn't even _trust _him, much less like him like _that_. He glared, "_That's _what I'm trying to tell you."

And before he could even fully understand what had just happened, his feet were leading him to the school and away from a stunned Patricia.

He wasn't quite sure what to feel.

* * *

She missed their first class together, and their second. Third period, Patricia was in Ms. Andrews' class and he was with Mrs. Valentine, but when he confronted KT about it, she had informed him she hadn't seen Patricia. KT hadn't seemed too worried, thinking she was sick, but Eddie knew better. Eddie knew because he had been walking to school with her when he had ditched her. He tried not to get too concerned- it was still light out, nothing would happen to Patricia.

"Has anyone seen Patricia?" Eddie was quick to ask as he approached the lunch table. Everyone shrugged and gave a variety of answers, but none were the ones he was looking for. For a minute, he thought about ditching class to find her, but he wasn't exactly sure where she was and could potentially be searching for hours. His best bet was that she was already in her room, safely in her house, and he couldn't afford any more trouble with his father.

* * *

"Eddie?" Mrs. Williamson beamed at the young boy. "Are you here to see Patricia?" She opened the door a little wider and ushered him in.

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his neck. "Is she okay?"

"Just a little under the weather," Mrs. Williamson informed. "She came home right before I left for work. She looked a bit pale and queasy so I let her stay home. She's upstairs, second door to the right." Eddie nodded, muttering a thanks before rushing up the stairs and knocking on the right door. Piper was the one who opened it.

"Hi," she said shortly. "Patricia's not really in the mood to talk." Before he could even reply, she shut the door. Eddie sighed, digging his bobby pin out of his pocket and jamming it in the lock. Both Piper and Patricia shot up when they saw him, and Piper let out an annoyed breath.

"He's not going to leave you alone until you talk," Piper pointed out before getting up and leaving. Patricia grumbled something about 'bad sisters' before looking down at her bedspread.

"You're not sick," Eddie accused, tapping his foot.

"Yeah," Patricia echoed, playing with her blanket. "So why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here," Eddie said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. The atmosphere turned awkward and stiff and Patricia broke the silence.

"Could you leave?" Patricia finally said abruptly.

"...that's it? We're not going to, I don't know, talk about it?"

"I'm obviously the rebound or something," Patricia shrugged. "There's nothing to talk about."

"What do you mean-" Eddie started before being cut off by Piper, who came in at exactly that moment.

"You guys okay in here?" she beamed, but Patricia looked as if she was mentally thanking Piper for being a savior. Eddie rolled his eyes but nodded, giving an awkward wave to Patricia.

"Hope you feel better," he muttered before leaving, brushing past Mrs. Williamson and out the door.

* * *

"What's up with you and Eddie?" KT asked Patricia, sliding into the seat next to her. It had been about a week since Eddie had come over to talk to Patricia, and neither had really addressed the whole issue yet. Neither wanted to- they exchanged their 'hello's' and such but each avoided the other as much as possible. Their friends had started noticing ever since Patricia had stolen Mara's usual seat so that she could stay away from Eddie.

"What do you mean?" Patricia looked up from her food, trying to sound clueless.

"You haven't been hanging out as much," KT shrugged. "I thought you guys were friends now."

"So what?" Patricia finally snapped. She had been getting weird glances from her friends all week just because she wasn't talking to Eddie as much. It wasn't as if he was the _only _person she hung out with…okay, maybe that was the case recently, but _still_. It was annoying. "I have to be with him every moment of the day?"

"No, of course not," KT started, seeing Eddie watching the two curiously. Patricia seemed to see him too, and scowled.

"I'm going to go eat in the library or something," she muttered, shooting Eddie a glare. Maybe she was supposed to be treating him nicer but he was messing up her feelings, which just made her angrier. She snatched up her tray and KT caught her wrist.

"Patricia, honestly, I didn't mean-"

"Whatever," she mumbled before stomping away. When would all of this _end_? Couldn't she just get through the year, not caring as usual? It was a lot easier that way, without feeling anything for anyone.

Patricia huffed quietly, sitting down at one of the tables in the library and beginning to eat once more, mind going back to Eddie and all her friends.

Ugh, she really hated feelings.


	31. Chapter 31

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis**.

**I'm updating really early, I know! I would just like to thank everyone.**

They say you don't know what you have until it's gone.

For Patricia, that couldn't be truer. That one measly month she had spent with Eddie had probably been one of her best, maybe not only in this year, but since before middle school. It was the first time she felt valued almost, like she mattered. What she felt when she hung out with Eddie was something she had never felt when hanging out with KT or Fabian. She couldn't even put her finger on it, it was just _there_. Sometimes, she wondered about what was going on with him, thought about talking to him, but then decided against it. It'd be too awkward.

Months passed and she wasn't any more social. Eddie, meanwhile, was talking to so many people, so many people he didn't have a chance to talk to while he was hanging out with her. In the morning, during their shared classes, he chatted with Fabian. At lunch, he talked to Alfie about the food. And Patricia had even seen him and Mara walking to his house after school to work on a school project. They had been talking animatedly and Eddie had been laughing loudly. Had Patricia ever made him laugh like that? A strange sense of jealousy overcame her as they walked into his house. What next? Were they going to make hoagies too and have a food fight? Was Eddie going to give Mara one of his shirts too?

The thought made her feel sick.

Patricia sighed before flopping down on her bed, feeling a bit empty. She would never admit it, but she missed their friendship. And if not their friendship, their a-little-bit-more-than friendship. She discreetly peered out her window to see Eddie and Mara both sitting on his bed. Her nose flared- sure, Mara was by then headboard and Eddie on the edge and there were countless books between the two, but _still_. It looked an awful lot like a study date to her.

One more pang of jealousy.

Patricia tried to calm down- Eddie didn't like her at all, they weren't dating or even talking. She had no right to get like this. The way she saw it, Eddie had told her he liked her simply because he had been feeling lonely after Amber's talk. That had to be it- she _had _to be the rebound.

But the worst part of it all was that, ever since he admitted he liked her, she had begun noticing all the things she hadn't before. His eyes, his hair, his lips. It made her feel extremely girly and she wanted to beat herself up for even thinking about that, but she couldn't help it. She had begun to find the whole new side of Eddie, from a distance.

And she _liked _that new side.

A little more than a friend should.

Patricia looked out the window once more and met Eddie's eyes by accident. They held their gaze for once, and while usually, one would reach for some paper and something to write with, nothing like that occurred.

For once, _she _was the one to break their gaze. She couldn't handle it anymore.

* * *

Amber's ear-splitting scream echoed as she walked into the lunchroom the next day, holding up the flyer. "A _dance_!" she squealed. "An end of term dance!" Joy nodded eagerly while Patricia winced from her nearby table. She _hated _these kinds of things, the dressing up and the plastic crowns and the slow dances. It just wasn't her scene- it probably never would be either.

Her friends' reactions were quite different from hers- Willow and Mara looked ecstatic while Fabian and Nina exchanged shy glances. Alfie grinned widely while KT began talking about how she thought the dance would be. The only one who _didn't _look particularly happy was Eddie, who was now picking at his food glumly, a bitter look on his face. Patricia quirked her eyebrow- was he sad that he didn't have a girlfriend this time around? Surely, he could get a date before the dance.

* * *

"A _dance_, how exciting!" Piper smiled, a crinkled flyer in her hands. Patricia's head whipped around to see Piper with the paper explaining the details of the dance. The popular people had been shoving them in everyone's hands during class, but Patricia had just balled them all up and stuffed them in her bag. Figures, Piper would choose _this _day to look through her bag.

"Well, you can shut up about it, because I'm not going," Patricia informed her, to which her sister pouted.

"Why not, Patricia? I wish _my _school did something like this," she surveyed the paper once more. "Besides, this year, you actually have- never mind." She cut herself off and looked down, but both knew what she had implied. _This year, you actually have friends_.

"I just don't want to," Patricia dismissed it. "Dances are stupid. Why would I want to see a bunch of girls kissing their boyfriend constantly?"

"You could get a date," Piper frowned, concentrated.

"No."

The words were sharp on her tongue and Patricia crossed her arms defiantly. Piper simply gave her a look and shook her head before they both headed downstairs to eat.

* * *

"So," Mrs. Williamson beamed warmly. "How were your days?" Patricia rolled her eyes but remained silent, and for once, Piper did too. Their mother frowned, a bit concerned, but went back to eating. It was only then that Piper shot up.

"There's a dance at Patricia's school and she doesn't want to go."

"_Piper!_"

"A dance?" Her mother, as predicted, lit up. "You should go, Patricia! This doesn't happen every day!"

"No, but it _does _happen every year," Patricia pointed out. "It's an annual dance."

"Well, it's still bound to be fun," Mrs. Williamson shot back before softening. "Don't you want to see your friends? Dance the night away?" She looked dreamy, as if reminiscing, but Patricia shook her head.

"Not really."

"C'mon, Trix, go out, enjoy yourself," Piper encouraged. "Besides, Eddie might be there."

Patricia's head shot up fast and she tried to calm down. There was _no way _Piper could possibly know about her feelings for Eddie- one, she hadn't told her, and two, Patricia was fairly discreet about it all anyway. "_What_?"

"I see you looking out our window so many times," Piper rolled her eyes and their mother blinked, unsure of what was happening. "I don't know what exactly happened between you two in January, but you two make good friends."

"_You're _the one who told me to stay away from him," Patricia sneered, not even bothering to fight anything else Piper had said. Maybe she wasn't as discreet as she liked to think.

"I just don't think it's healthy for a relationship-"

"We are _not _in a relationship," Patricia pushed back her chair before putting her plate in the sink. "And will you _stop _meddling?"

* * *

She wasn't quite sure how she ended up outside the night of the dance, in a black dress, hair curled by Piper. All she knew was that at one point, she had gotten tired of her mother's constant questions about the dance, and might've let it slip that if she could have some peace and quiet, she'd go to the dance.

Bad choice.

The heels that she wore felt uncomfortable and the dress she wore was itchy. Her hair, which had now been pulled back, made her feel so different, not having a veil to hide behind, and the purse dangling from her shoulder made her feel like Amber.

She hated that feeling more than anything else.

But slowly, ever so slowly, she began walking in those tall heels, eyes focused on her feet.

From next door, Eddie's eyes were focused on his mobile as he began walking down the winding path to school at a fairly fast pace. Patricia wobbled a bit on one heel but hesitantly took a step forward, and then another until she had reached down her driveway and onto her sidewalk. It was only then did she step on a rock, which set her off balance and falling down. She couldn't help the small shriek of surprise that came from her as her hands made contact with the ground.

Patricia sighed- the night was already off to a bad start and she wasn't even far from home yet. She had a small scrape on her left hand but nothing serious, and as she undid the straps on her heels so as to take them off, a familiar voice reached her ears.

It was gruff and stiff but it was undeniably his, and Patricia wasn't sure if she was supposed to smile or scowl.

"Need any help?"

They should've known it. Should've known that this night would be the night everything changed for them. Should've not been so oblivious to think they wouldn't run into each other.

Fate sure had a weird way of working.


	32. Chapter 32

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis**.

**Thank you for the amazing response last chapter! Because of that, I'm updating again! We have about four chapters left to go, with an epilogue.**

Patricia tried to get up by herself and ignore his hand, but soon enough, she realized it wasn't possible and latched on. "Thanks," she muttered, avoiding his eyes, heels dangling in her hand.

"No problem," he said in a low tone, scratching the back of his neck. "You, uh, going to the dance?"

"Not by choice," she rolled her eyes, still unable to look up. She didn't have to be a master of social etiquette to know that this wouldn't go right no matter what. If she struck up a conversation of him saying he liked her, they'd have to talk about that and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. If they kept talking about small things and avoiding the big issue, then there would still be tension. All she could do was pray he would go soon and not bring it up.

"I am too," he replied. "Mom made me." Patricia nodded, twiddling her thumbs and staring at her bare feet, a sudden surge in the back of her mind to say '_You're not going with Mara_?'

Eddie was obviously better at striking up conversations with girls he had admitted his feelings to and then been pushed away from. He spoke again, his voice devoid of emotion. "You curled your hair."

"Yeah," Patricia trailed off, not sure what to say. She bounced on the balls of her feet like she had seen him do months ago. But she couldn't resist asking, "…so what?"

"It's different," Eddie shrugged, and for the first time, she looked up at him. If he wasn't shy enough to look down at his feet, then why should she? Patricia clutched the heels tighter as she wracked her brain for something to say- how much longer could this conversation go on before they finally hit what they'd both been avoiding? Eddie continued at her lack of words, "I don't know, it just looks…" He waved his hands around her for a minute, but his motions were stiff and seemed rehearsed without his easygoing smile.

"You don't know what to say," Patricia murmured- it made her feel a little comforted. That she wasn't the only one sensing how tense it was. Eddie nodded, and she cleared her throat. Did she _want _to fix things? Sure, she wanted to talk to him again, wanted to be by his side again, but she wasn't sure how to initiate the conversation or what she'd even say during it.

"I don't want to go to this stupid dance," Eddie finally blurted out, locking their eyes. Patricia almost felt like sighing with relief- someone sane, thank you.

"I don't either," she said quietly.

"I didn't think you would," Eddie cracked a smile, but it looked almost bittersweet, wistful. Not carefree as usual. Not like the ones he had given Mara. Patricia forced herself to upturn the corners of her lips the slightest, but neither looked particularly happy. Eddie opened his mouth and then closed it before making a decision. "Want to ditch the dance together?"

There.

He had made the first step and both knew it, both acknowledged it.

Patricia juggled her options- awkward time with Eddie or lonely time at the dance? Eddie seemed less harsh now, but eventually, even she knew, they would reach _the topic_. "Sure," she let it out in a slow breath, as if she couldn't believe she had actually said it. She confirmed it, "_Sure_."

"Cool, where are we heading?" Was he just really good at calming his nerves or did he not have any at all? Patricia, for one, had to think it over maybe ten times before she actually said anything. If she made one wrong step, everything would crumble.

But her stomach let out a small growl and she vaguely remembered skipping dinner to get ready, being told to fill up on refreshments at the dance. She let out a nervous chuckle, "Well, I'm hungry."

"Never would've guessed," Eddie laughed slightly, but it was too formal. The kind of laugh you gave just to be polite. It wasn't _him_. But as he told her about a place they could go to which apparently had amazing pancakes even at night, Patricia nodded. And then she began walking with him, in silence, too scared to even say anything, not trusting herself.

* * *

It was only after Eddie ordered a large platter of pancakes and Patricia some of her own food did they finally sit down. The moody cashier, who wore a nametag that says _Ben_, occasionally looked over at them curiously, but both pretended not to notice. They were basically the only ones there, besides the man at the back who seemed to eat at the pace of the snail. Eddie sat on one side of the booth and Patricia the other, feeling out of place in her fancy clothes.

"So…" Eddie finally pushed his pancakes to the side and took a long gulp of his water. "How've you been?"

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They weren't supposed to be this nice- since when was Eddie this polite- since when did he talk to her like a stranger?

"Good," Patricia nodded slightly, meeting Eddie's eyes. He stayed silent and she began fiddling with her hair and clothes.

He was waiting.

He was waiting for _her _to bring it up.

When she didn't, Eddie continued. "I haven't talked to you in a while."

So formal.

So polite.

Why was he not stuffing his pancake in her face?

"Me neither," Patricia said. "I've been busy…with KT and Fabian and Alfie, you know."

"Ah," Eddie drummed his fingers on the table. "So you know about Alfie's secret relationship with Amber?"

Patricia's eyes widened and she almost leaped across the table in surprise, "_Amber_?" It was only after he smirked did she realize he had just called her out on her lies. She narrowed her eyes, "Well, you've been busy, haven't you? With Mara, yeah? What, did you give her your shirt too after a food fight?" Patricia was too fueled to realize what she had just said, but Eddie certainly wasn't. He stiffened at the mention.

"You never gave me my shirt back, you know."

Patricia opened and closed her mouth several times before she came up with the weak comeback of, "You never asked for it."

Eddie snorted at her excuse and Patricia crossed her arms and huffed, watching his fingers rise and fall as they hit the table. He finally sighed and looked up, "So? We ever going to talk about it?"

She faltered- she hadn't expected it to come this soon. "A-about what?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, "_Nice_. Avoiding it isn't the answer-"

"Oh, well, look who's suddenly the wise one."

"I'm just saying-"

"I don't _care _what you're saying."

Eddie looked extremely frustrated by now, "Will you _quit _cutting me off?"

"Will you _quit _bringing it up?"

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"Why do _you _want to?" Patricia shot back just as quick, sinking lower in her seat. He glared at her and she returned it, an even match, one on one.

Eddie's voice went low, "You know we need to-"

"Maybe we don't, can't we just forget about it?" Patricia scoffed, pretending it was no big deal. On the inside, her question sounded more like pleading.

"Whatever," Eddie blew some air out, annoyed. Patricia nodded her thanks, sneaking glances at him before sighing. He looked so down, so depressed.

She _had _to ask, show she cared.

"So, did you meet your mum's boyfriend or what?"

Eddie looked surprised, "You remember him?'

"'Course," Patricia said, as if she were offended that he thought she would forget. And she was a bit- she remembered that day that he came over for comfort all too well. She remembered the crack in her voice as he had hit home, touched on a sensitive spot. Did he though

"He's pretty nice, I guess," Eddie shrugged. "He proposed to mom a couple weeks ago."

Patricia jolted up- why did she not know about this? Why did she _want _to know about this? "And you're okay with it?"

"He's cool. He's into sports. He asked me how I felt before proposing. It's just…"

"He's not Mr. Sweet," Patricia finished quietly. "Right."

"Let's not talk about it," Eddie scratched the back of his neck and looked to her. "What have you been up to?"

_Nothing_.

"Couple things here and there," Patricia lied, trying to remain inconspicuous. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap and began tapping her feet. Her mouth felt dry but she didn't want to reach for the water.

"I _really _want to talk about this," Eddie muttered after a minute, looking down. He spoke in a softer tone than before.

"I just don't see what there is to talk about," Patricia fibbed nervously, bare feet pressing harder on the ground, hands clutching tighter to the table. Her breaths became coming very shallow, and she tried to calm herself down.

"You pushed me away," Eddie mumbled. "_There_. That's what there is to talk about." He folded his hands on the table. "I told you _I liked you _and you _pushed me away_."

"I didn't-"

"And I think I know why," Eddie continued, interrupting her. "You're afraid of confrontation."

Patricia stiffened and Eddie knew he had guessed right. She spent most of her time running away from people, not opening up and talking on them. Not lowering her force field like he had wanted her to.

"I'm not-"

"So I'm going to give you a choice, okay?" Eddie asked. "You could either run out of here as usual, or we could sit here and talk about it." Patricia was muttering under her breath, taking short, quick breaths. He bit his lip, wanting her to stay. How could he even convince her though? He looked sheepish as he finally said, "And…I miss you."

He _missed _her.

_He _missed _her._

Patricia let out a slow breath, trying to decide. If she ran, she'd be that scared little girl and there would be no improvement between them. If she stayed…if she stayed, she didn't actually know how it would turn out.

Maybe it was time to take a risk.

"Okay," she breathed out. "Let's talk."


	33. Chapter 33

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**You guys are amazing, really! Thank you so much! I tried to keep this IC, tell me how I did!**

Patricia waited for him to start the conversation first, and he did. The smile he had previously worn was now exchanged for a frown. "Rebound," he murmured, so low that if someone else had been talking, Patricia probably wouldn't have heard. But no, the place was empty, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "You told me that you thought you were the rebound." He raised an eyebrow, "Want to tell me what that means?"

He obviously wasn't beating around the bush here.

Patricia shrugged, "I don't know, you and Amber had just talked. I figured you were feeling lonely and that was the only reason you told me you liked me."

Eddie stayed quiet for a while and she eyed him nervously, waiting for a response.

"_That's it_?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Patricia scowled- wasn't her reason valid?

"I don't know, I was just expecting more," Eddie confessed, looking up hopefully. "So…does this mean you _did _like me back then and the only reason you said no was because you thought you were a rebound?"

Patricia wrapped her mind around his words quickly enough, "No. I mean, I don't remember if I liked you back then…maybe? I don't know," she shrugged helplessly, watching Eddie deflate a bit.

"And now?"

"What do you mean 'and now'?"

"What do you think about me now?" Eddie prodded, and Patricia clutched her head in her hands. She hated talking about feelings for exactly this reason- she wasn't good at communicating and she certainly wasn't eloquent. Oftentimes, she didn't even know what she was feeling- everything muddled together and she generally placed her feelings under either negative or positive. For her, it was never that she felt bittersweet or felt like crying or anything like that. She just knew she didn't feel her greatest, and that was the best explanation she could give herself. It was also the best explanation she could give others.

"I think," the words rolled off her tongue and she wracked her brain for the right thing to say before sighing dejectedly. "I don't know what I think. I mean, honestly, you should be scared of me." She nodded her head as if this was simple fact.

"And why would I be scared of you?" Eddie raised an eyebrow and Patricia bit her lip. Maybe scared wasn't the right word. She remembered guys from her old schools ignoring her most of the time, never really _scared_. But Patricia liked having power over people, so she just _told _herself that the reason they never talked to her was because they were scared. Not because they found her unattractive. Not because they thought she was some weird goth. Because they were _scared_.

She ended up shrugging again, "I don't know. I just don't get it. So much has happened in the last year, you know?"

"Tell me about it," Eddie agreed, thinking about how much he himself had changed.

Patricia paused, thinking of everything that had happened since her arrival in this town. "Come to think of it, you're the cause of all of this, you know that?"

"Guilty as charged," Eddie gave a small chuckle.

"And you know what the scariest part of this all is?" Patricia looked down, twiddling her thumbs. "After _you _told me you liked me…"

Eddie straightened up.

"I think I started to like you," she muttered, talking to herself more than him.

"That's great-"

"No!" She looked up with earnest eyes. "_Not _great! I'm not good at relationships!" she admitted. "I mess things up too easily." She began mumbling to herself and Eddie almost felt uncomfortable- Patricia was being vulnerable and he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't hug her from across the table. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to recollect everything, make it simpler.

"So you like me…and I like you…" Patricia nodded, almost looking _ashamed _of herself. "What now?"

"I don't know!" Patricia looked frustrated and Eddie panicked. What if she ran out again? "I don't _know_, okay?" Her hair looked somewhat messed up from all the times she had yanked on it while she talked, and her heels still sat by her.

"Well…" Eddie started. He was clearly going to be the one who had to sort everything out. "The way this usually goes is that after we tell each other we like each other…we kiss or something."

"_We do_?" She looked nervous and Eddie was quick to reassure her.

"Only if you want to, I mean," Eddie said, crossing over to Patricia's side of the booth. She was watching him with wide eyes and it was such a change. Even when she didn't talk much, she still seemed fierce, untouchable. Now she just looked scared. He had never seen her like this before, and it was new.

"Right," Patricia cleared her throat. "So we just kiss."

"We're not supposed to _talk about it_," Eddie rolled his eyes. "It's just supposed to _happen_." Patricia still looked fairly clueless about it all and Eddie took pity on her. "Whenever you feel like it…just do it."

Patricia sighed before beginning to rant again about the stupidity of this whole thing, and Eddie grinned. She needed to lighten up- he knew this was new for her, but she was honestly overthinking it. He looked over the table at his pancake, smirking before grabbing it and smashing it in her face.

Silence.

"_Did you just_…" Patricia started, looking shocked, wiping some butter from her face as the pancake slid down into her lap. She picked up her glass of water and chucked it at him so that he was sopping wet in a matter of seconds. Eddie laughed openly, feeling free, feeling happy. Nobody else ever did this with him- had food fights like this. He grabbed the ketchup bottle from the end of the table and Patricia quickly took the mustard, eyes glistening. It all happened so fast- each one a mess of red and yellow. Something inside her clicked and she leaned forward, wanting to be the one to initiate the kiss. _Don't overthink it_, she told herself, studying him as she inched closer.

So she didn't, and crashed her lips to his.

Eddie responded after getting over his shock and Patricia cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck. His went around her waist and-

_Ring!_

Eddie groaned before pulling apart and grabbing his phone from his pocket. He rolled his eyes and Patricia strained to see who was calling. "Hello? Fabian? …yeah, I decided to skip the dance…don't worry…I'm fine…" He sighed before ending the call and turning back to Patricia, who burst out laughing at the sight.

"Your lips are _orange_, you know that?" It felt good to be so happy, and she embraced it, pushing her worries to the side.

"Yours are too!" Eddie defended himself and Patricia grabbed a napkin, still laughing. She quickly wiped her lips and looked down at her dress, which was covered in ketchup.

"My mum's going to kill me," she said, still smiling, trying to wipe away from the red. But it left stains and she finally gave up, shrugging. "What time is it?"

"Uh, 10:00," Eddie muttered, checking his watch before doing a double take. "_10:00_?"

"I'm dead," Patricia muttered, closing her eyes. "I ruined the dress, I stayed out late, I didn't even go to the _stupid dance_…"

"How do you think _my _mom's going to react?" Eddie asked with wide eyes. "I have _mustard _all over me and she gets so worried, it's not even funny." As if on cue, his phone went off and he glanced down at the three letters: _Mom_. "We should be heading back."

Patricia nodded and they both got up, moody Ben's monotonous 'have a good day' the last thing they heard as they left.

* * *

"This was fun," Patricia admitted as Eddie stuck his hands in his pockets. There was something glorious about staying out late and being with someone she actually cared about that made her felt so free, and she laughed, saying it louder. "This was fun."

"The food fight or the kissing?" Eddie winked at her.

"The food fight, obviously," Patricia joked, nudging him. "You're a _terrible _kisser." Eddie laughed at this and hesitantly swung an arm around her shoulders.

And the two continued back home, the perfect definition of a teenage cliche, feeling the best they had in months.

They could get used to this.

**Feel free to tell me if it's out of character. That's something I was debating while writing it, and I'm not sure. I think it's okay though, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Thank you for all your reviews, they meant the world.**

**PLEASE READ THIS NOTE: This is the second to last chapter, not including the epilogue. These last couple chapters are mainly to tie up all the loose ends, which means this story is coming to a close. I will not be doing a sequel, because frankly, there's nothing left plot wise and I don't want to do something cliche. So basically, it's this chapter, then Chapter 35, then an epilogue. Hope you loved this story as much as I loved writing it.**

Patricia bid him a goodbye and walked to her door carefully, digging keys out of her purse, heels still in hand. She had walked home barefoot, and it was possibly one of the best experiences. She and Eddie had joked, laughed- maybe they should be talking about where this evening left them but it was an awfully serious conversation that neither had felt like having at the time.

"_Patricia_!" Piper cried, enveloping her sister in a hug, looking near tears. "We were so worried- we called the school- they said you weren't at the dance!"

"Because I wasn't," Patricia gave her a look, trying to push down the smile. What had started as the worst day had ended as the best. "Just tell mum I'm fine, yeah?"

"Maybe you should go and tell her," Piper fretted. "She's in the-"

Patricia sighed and grabbed her sister's shoulders. Piper never had been one to understand that sometimes, people needed time to themselves. "Please," she said urgently. "I have something I really need to do." Piper eyed her carefully but nodded, and Patricia ran off before she could say more. The questions about how awful her hair and dress looked were bound to come soon.

Once she got upstairs, she instantly peeked out the window to see if Eddie was in his room. But no, he was probably getting lectured by his mother at the moment. Patricia sighed, about to go change into something more comfortable when it hit her.

What were they?

Did that kiss make them boyfriend and girlfriend?

Or were they still friends?

Neither had brought it up and it was only then that Patricia even thought about it. What if Eddie _didn't _think the kiss meant anything and soon enough, it would be even more awkward between them? She wasn't sure he thought like that, especially after he had specifically told her he liked her, but she was allowed to have her doubts.

Patricia's eyes darted towards her note pad and the pen next to it.

Eddie had made many of the first moves in their ever so confusing relationship; maybe it was her turn to make one. Besides, didn't she owe him that?

So she picked up the pen and twisted it in her fingers, wondering how exactly to phrase the question. Almost glad Eddie wasn't there, she hastily jotted down what she was thinking before taping it to the wall. There. Now there was no awkward conversations, just notes from bedroom windows. He could reply when he got up to his room- which didn't seem like it was going to be happening anytime soon considering it had to have been ten minutes already. Patricia let out a long breath and tried to distract herself by straightening her dress, feeling crusty ketchup underneath her fingers and grimacing.

Now would be the time to change.

* * *

Eddie's mother was standing right in the hallway when he came in, with crossed arms and a tapped foot. She glared at him slightly and he backed up in fear, "_Where _were you?"

"I _swear_ I wasn't doing anything wrong," Eddie assured her. "I was perfectly safe, I was down at that diner with Patricia." Something about his mother's glare made him feel the need to spill everything. He would eventually anyway, and he figured he might as well get it over with.

His mother's gaze softened slightly, "Diner? Patricia?"

"Yeah," Eddie couldn't help but laugh, remembering everything that had just happened. "I know you wanted me to go to the dance, but-"

"Wait," Ms. Miller cut him off, suddenly realizing he had mustard all over him and was soaked. "What exactly happened at this diner?"

"Oh," Eddie looked down, having forgotten his appearance might've come off as weird. "Um…we had a food fight?"

"So you went to a diner with Patricia…to have a food fight?" His mother cocked an eyebrow, looking suspicious and suspecting.

Eddie shrugged almost shyly, "We _might've _kissed." He held his breath and waited for his mother's reaction. She had never been all too pleased with his previous girlfriends- she had never been particularly _rude _to them or anything, but anyone could tell she found some of them downright annoying. Amber had come over for dinner once a year ago, and Ms. Miller had fallen asleep with a headache.

"Kissed?" His mother echoed. "So this means you're dating?"

Eddie frowned- _were _they dating? He figured they were, figured she was his girlfriend, but Patricia wasn't one to rush into things, so he wasn't sure. "Uh…maybe? I'm not sure." He eyed her carefully, "How do you…feel about this?"

"I actually do quite like Patricia," Ms. Miller nodded thoughtfully. "She's a bit quiet, isn't she? But, no, she seems…good for you." Eddie wanted to ask what she meant, but his mother's face turned hard once more. "But that doesn't change that you got me worried. You should've called me, Eddie. Grounded. One week." She pointed upstairs and walked off before he could argue. Eddie stuffed his hands in his jeans before going up to his room, spotting the paper on Patricia's window before anything else.

_What are we now?_

He frowned in concentration. He wanted to be her boyfriend, obviously, and scratched that down on his whiteboard.

_Want to be my girlfriend_?

It was a casual way of asking but it seemed as if Patricia wanted a straight answer, not some giant extravaganza. So he set it up the whiteboard so it wouldn't fall and changed his clothes, taking one more glance out his window before falling asleep.

It had probably been one of the best days he'd had in a while, even if it hadn't started off as that. And maybe he was breaking several personal rules by thinking that, but it was true. He had gotten off with an easy grounding, had skipped the dance, and been kissed and sprayed with mustard by a girl he had come to like much more than he would've originally thought.

Life was pretty good.

* * *

Patricia bit her lip, pen poised on paper. She did want to be his girlfriend- that was such a weird word to think of herself as- but she had no experience being one. What was a good girlfriend supposed to act like? Would a romantic relationship change anything between them?

"I'd say yes."

Patricia whipped her head around to see Piper standing a few feet behind her. Her eyes widened and Piper grinned at her, "So, was _this _what you had to take care of last night?" Patricia nodded slowly, waiting for Piper to blow up about it all. But to her surprise, her twin didn't even look that shocked. "Say yes," she advised. "You like him, right?"

Another nod.

"Then don't overcomplicate things. Try it out, be his girlfriend," Piper shrugged as if it were no big deal and Patricia wanted to say something. How could her sister talk about it so casually, as if Patricia had just mentioned the weather?

"But what if we break up or something and we lose our friendship?" Patricia asked quietly- she had seen that in countless movies and read that in too many books and she didn't _want _to ever be put in that kind of position.

Piper paused, smiling lightly, "That's a risk you'll have to take, Trix."

And so Patricia sighed, pressing her pen to the paper.

Maybe she was making a mistake by saying _yes_.

But she would never know unless she tried.

* * *

Eddie almost laughed at the look on Patricia's face Monday morning when she found him waiting for her. She quickly wiped her surprise away and muttered a 'hi.' He frowned- he didn't want things to be like this, girlfriends and boyfriends were supposed to be comfortable with each other.

"Hey," he greeted as the two set off towards school.

"So…you're my boyfriend now?" Patricia blurted out, and Eddie chuckled. He reached over to her hand and took it in his own.

"If you're okay with it," he smiled, but Patricia was still focused on their clasped hands. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and she looked up.

"Sorry," she shook her head, realizing how weird she must be acting. "It's just…you're my first…_real_ boyfriend and I don't…really…" She trailed off helplessly, looking down at their hands again. Eddie squeezed hers again and looked almost understanding.

"It's fine," he shrugged, swinging their hands a bit. "I'll teach you everything you need to know." Patricia still looked dumbfounded, and Eddie grinned. Some part of him loved that she was so clueless about how to properly act at the moment. "Okay," he started, deciding to change the topic to something both could relate to. "How long were _you _grounded?"

"Two weeks," Patricia rolled her eyes, quickly slipping back into the attitude that had attracted him in the first place. "Mum's brutal."

"One week," he stuck out his tongue teasingly and she scowled, trying hard to not smile. "But I think it's because of you. Mom thinks we'd be good together so I think I got let off easy."

"You already told your mom?" Patricia asked, looking stunned. Eddie raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Uh, yeah…didn't you?"

"No way," she shook her head adamantly. "My whole family is so nosy, they'd want to know _everything_." Eddie nodded, watching Patricia open the door first to get inside the school building. He was about to walk through too when he realized she had absolutely no intention of holding it open, causing him to collide with glass. He gave her a playful glare before shoving it open himself, and Patricia snickered.

"Thanks for _nothing_," Eddie scoffed in a teasing manner.

"Anytime," she laughed, breaking apart from him and heading down the hall to her own locker, happy to say that nothing had really changed between them at all.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Guys, we've reached the end. After this, we only have the epilogue left to go. I've had a great time writing this, thanks for understanding my decision not to make a sequel. Hope you like this! Tell me how the ending was please, I'm not quite sure what I feel about it.**

It wasn't exactly a _secret _relationship or anything, but Eddie wasn't sure if Patricia was a fan of affection in public, so it never really happened. Maybe they sat at a little closer at the lunch table and maybe they joked around more, but their friends seemed to have thought they reconciled. None of them had really figured it out yet, and it had been a good two weeks now.

Eddie was in his father's office today but he was due back any minute, and Patricia fixed her gaze on Alfie, trying to see if Eddie was right. Were Amber and Alfie _really _dating? They exchanged discreet glances, soft smiles, and Patricia tried hard not to let her jaw drop. She hadn't been expecting that.

It was when she felt a kiss on her cheek that Patricia looked up with a raised eyebrow. It was obviously Eddie, but he had just kissed her cheek in school and that hadn't ever happened before this. He was beaming as he sat down next to her.

"Good time with your dad?" she whispered, and Eddie nodded animatedly.

"The _best_," he enthused. Patricia smiled- anyone could tell Eddie never had the greatest time with his dad but he looked fairly happy today. Maybe Mr. Sweet had finally called him _Eddie _instead of _Edison_.

But that cheek kiss must've attracted _some _attention, because when Patricia finally turned back to her lunch, all her friends were staring at them. She could feel Eddie shaking in silent laughter at their reactions, and Patricia raised an eyebrow, deciding to play innocent. "_What_?"

"Eddie just…" KT started, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. She would be lying if she said she had never thought of the two together, but she had never expected it to be this soon, a while after they started talking again.

Willow was the one to finish her sentence, clapping joyfully, "_Squee! _You're _together_, aren't you? Oh, that's wonderful, your auras complement each other _so well-_"

"_Willow_," Mara rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing as-"

"Wait, you're _dating_?" Alfie looked up from staring at Amber and eyed Patricia and Eddie suspiciously. "_Really_?"

"Why, what's wrong?" Eddie stifled his laughs and swung an arm around Patricia. "We can't date?"

"No, you can," KT assured. "I mean, we all saw it coming-"

"We _did_?" Nina raised an eyebrow. "I never thought they'd get together." She looked around the table for a sign of agreement, but everybody was simply shaking their heads. Patricia raised her hand slightly.

"Wait, you _all _thought we'd get together?" Several murmurs of 'yeah' and 'it was pretty obvious' went around, and Eddie rolled his eyes. He hadn't thought they were being that obvious about anything- maybe his friends were all just extremely perceptive.

"It was pretty obvious, mate," Alfie shrugged.

Fabian nodded, "I remember trying to talk Eddie out of making the bet in the first place." He looked almost wistful while he reminisced, and Patricia smiled lightly. The _bet_, the bet that started a chain reaction, setting off one thing after another. If it wasn't for the bet, would they even be dating today? Or would they just be neighbors, strangers at school, saying 'hi' to each other as they passed one another in the halls? She wasn't to the point where she would call the bet a good thing and she probably never would be, but even Patricia had to admit that it did have a huge effect on their relationship. It was how they met; it was the reason Eddie took the first step.

"And I remember when he came to me for girl advice," Alfie sighed, placing his chin on his hand. Eddie looked at him quizzically.

"Uh, Alfie?"

"Yeah?"

"I never came to you for girl advice."

Alfie simply shrugged, "I know, I wanted to be part of it though." Everyone at the table laughed at this and he pretended to wipe some tears from his eyes, voice sounding broken as he took his napkin and blew into it forcefully. "They-grow-up-so-_fast_!" Eddie let out a chuckle and even Patricia had a hard time keeping a smile off her face as their friends openly grinned at Alfie's acting. Willow was giggling stupidly as the rest of them tried to catch their breath from laughing so hard. Alfie had actually produced tears earlier and was now wiping them away. Patricia grinned, surveying her small group of friends and then looking back up at Eddie beside her. He still hadn't taken his arm off of her, but just this once, she wasn't objecting.

* * *

Eddie dragged Patricia over to his locker at the end of the day so that he could get his homework. He didn't have much, considering it was nearing the end of the year, but it was still enough that he and Patricia had set up a study date. (Okay, maybe he was intent on having a 'date' more than 'studying.') After being with her for a good two weeks, Eddie had gently guided Patricia through how to make out one day and by the smirk on her face, he could tell that she knew what study date meant just as well as him. It was funny, really, because the first time they had actually had their first deep, passionate kiss was when they had started play fighting. All their best kisses seemed to occur during an argument anyway.

To his surprise, Jerome was standing against his locker with crossed arms and an interested expressions. Eddie felt Patricia stiffen beside him, and he had to admit, even he was a little curious as to Jerome's motive for being there. He hadn't talked to Jerome in _so _long. "Hey, Jerome."

"Edison," Jerome nodded, eyes darting between Eddie and Patricia. "_So_, a little birdie told me earlier that you two are currently _dating_. True or not?"

"Why do you _care_?" Patricia scowled, crossing her arms.

"I don't," Jerome shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. But he simply _couldn't _turn down good gossip and his head shot up. "But are you dating?"

"Uh, yeah," Eddie rolled his eyes, not sure why Jerome really needed to know.

"Interesting," Jerome noted. "I should've seen it coming, really, I mean, _Amber _did and since when is _Amber _smarter than me?" He nodded at the two of them awkwardly before smirking one last time and heading off. Patricia was mildly surprised, having expected more commentary.

"Hey," Eddie called, and Jerome swiveled around. "What 'little birdie' told you?"

"Why, my dear friend Alfie Lewis," Jerome smiled. "He's dating Amber, didn't you know?"

"So you guys just…" Eddie searched for the right words. He wasn't even mad at Alfie, because it wasn't like he and Patricia were trying to hide their relationship. "Became friends again?"

Jerome sighed impatiently, "Yes, Edison. Bit slow, aren't you?" He smirked and looked between Eddie and Patricia again. He bit his lip thoughtfully, "I _suppose _you two _could _be good together…"

"Never asked for your blessing," Patricia muttered under her breath, but Jerome seemed to hear.

"Well, I gave it anyway, you can thank me later," he said cockily. "Well, I must be going now-"

"Thanks," Eddie suddenly said. Both Patricia and Jerome gave him strange looks and waited for him to elaborate. "For making that bet. Seriously, I probably owe my relationship to you." For once, Jerome looked dumbfounded and Eddie crossed his arms and smirked. It wasn't often anyone won against Jerome Clarke, but when they did, it was definitely a moment to cherish.

Jerome let out a stiff 'you're welcome' before leaving. Patricia raised an eyebrow. "You don't think we'd be together if it wasn't for the bet?"

Eddie shrugged, smiling, "I guess we'd get together eventually, because you know, we're pretty awesome together, but I don't know. I probably wouldn't have talked to you without the bet." Patricia looked mildly offended and Eddie began gathering his books. He scoffed, "What, like you would've ever talked to me if it wasn't for the bet?"

"Ugh, cocky Americans," Patricia rolled her eyes and Eddie swung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Ugh, annoying Brits," he mimicked teasingly as they headed out the door. He wiggled his eyebrows, "So, about the study date…"

"Oh, I have a _lot _of homework," Patricia nodded, playing along.

"Same," Eddie smirked. "Might take a _long _time to complete."

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

_So much for staying under the radar_, Patricia thought later as she pressed her mouth against Eddie's, the ex-popular guy she had vowed she would _never _forgive for anything. Life had taken so many turns over the year, and she definitely wasn't who she had started off as, she thought as their textbooks got shoved off to the side.

But if this was what happened when she _didn't _stay under the radar...

Then Patricia decided that _maybe_, just _maybe_, she could handle the attention.


	36. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Well, this is it. Thank you to ****_everyone _****who was a part of this story in some way, shape, or form. I really hope you enjoy the last installment of ****_Under The Radar_****- this whole fic has been amazing to write and you guys gave me such amazing reviews. I really love you all.**

**Epilogue**

It was months later that the Williamson family were 'cordially invited' to Ms. Miller's wedding. Patricia knew the invitation would come eventually, but it still made her smile, looking at the fancy script on crème paper. She had asked Eddie how he felt about his mother's marriage, but all he had given her was a rueful smile. Anyone could tell he liked David as a person- Patricia had met the man once when she got invited to the Millers' house, and Eddie had laughed and joked around with him the whole time. But as the wedding neared closer, it seemed to hit her boyfriend that David wasn't just his _friend _anymore- he was going to be his father. No, that wasn't right. Mr. Sweet was his father. But David was going to be something more than just somebody to hang out with. He was going to live in Eddie's house, and he was going to take the _position_ of the father. It was unsettling for both Eddie and Mr. Sweet, and Patricia knew for fact that the both had talked about it several times. But even though Eddie was anxious about the wedding, he also seemed happier. _Content_, as if he had come to terms that his mother was getting married and was willing to accept it. And in turn, Patricia herself was happier just being with him.

And so here she was, straightening out her dress as she watched David and Eddie's mum share their first dance. The floor soon became open to all couples, and Patricia looked up when Eddie tapped her shoulder and held out a hand.

"Dance with me?" he asked, grinning.

"I thought you didn't like dancing," she pointed out smartly.

"It's my mom's wedding, _c'mon_, I have to do _something_," Eddie rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, gently tugging her up. Patricia sighed and got out of her chair, looking at him suspiciously.

"I can't dance," she said, as if that would deter him. But Eddie just shrugged and led her closer to the dance floor.

"I can't either," he confessed.

"Then how do I know you won't step on my toes like, a _billion _times?" Patricia raised an eyebrow, pretending it was a serious question while biting back a smile.

"Think you'll just have to trust me on that one," Eddie said easily before stiffening. _Trust_. He was pretty sure Patricia trusted him now, but she hadn't exactly voiced it and the casual joke had now become serious. He studied her carefully and Patricia seemed to catch on to what he was implying- _did _she trust him?

"Guess I'll take my chances," she muttered softly, placing her hands on his shoulders just like everyone else was doing to their respective partners. Eddie felt a stupid grin stretch across his face- she _did _trust him. It didn't seem like it should've been a big deal but honestly? Eddie knew Patricia was closed off and reserved to most people and it just made him feel all warm inside that she had decided to trust someone and it had been _him_.

"I trust you too," he whispered carefully, and Patricia beamed for a moment before looking around. She hissed, "You're supposed to spin me now."

"Oh," Eddie said, clumsily spinning her around a minute later than the other couples. Patricia rolled her eyes but went along with it, slowly getting back into the rhythm of swaying back and forth. "You know, for someone that can't dance you're doing pretty well."

Patricia shrugged and looked him up and down. "You're _okay_," she said dryly, but she was teasing and they both knew it. Most of the time, she joked around and teased him and Eddie had learned not to take any of her comments that seriously.

Eddie laughed as they swayed from side to side, casting a look at his mother, who looked simply wonderful, bright and smiling. It made him smile too, and he turned back to Patricia, who raised an eyebrow but dismissed it soon enough.

"Are you _ever _going to give me back that shirt?" Eddie finally asked randomly, causing Patricia to stumble slightly. Truth be told, his shirt had been at the back of her closet for a while now and she hadn't even thought about it. It would be stupid to wear it considering with Eddie in the window across, he'd notice and she'd get teased for her whole life. He winked, "I really do like that shirt, you know. Technically, you stole it from me."

"You _gave _it to me," Patricia replied with mock indigence.

"Not true," Eddie shot back. "I let you _borrow _it, if I had known you would hold it hostage for like eight months I never would've even given it to you. Do you like secretly wear it or something?" he teased her. "Do girls actually do that? Do you wear it behind my back because I _never _see you with it on-"

"_Shut up_, you're so annoying," Patricia rolled her eyes before pressing her lips to his for a brief moment. Neither were big fans of PDA- mostly Patricia- so her kissing him right now was definitely a surprise. But Eddie simply grinned- because who was he to object to a kiss- and spun her around again.

Truth be told, they weren't sure if they loved each other. They weren't sure if they would be those people that everybody knew in high school that went on to get married and have kids or anything like that. Right now, they were just Patricia and Eddie. Two teenagers who _really _liked each other, two people who shared an immense bond.

And for right now, that was okay.


End file.
